Which Premier League players are going to the Africa Cup of Nations?

By Nick Krige
11th January 2024

With 31 Premier League players heading to the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations in the Ivory Coast, several clubs will be missing superstar players until early February.

The 2023 Afcon was supposed to be played in June and July of last year but was delayed due to concerns about the warm weather in the Ivory Coast over the summer, so it was moved to early 2024 instead.

Here SABC Sport takes a look at which players from the Premier League will be playing in the 2023 Afcon - and which clubs have been most affected by the change in the schedule of Africa's premier football tournament.

Spurs midfield spine

Tottenham Hotspur have lost midfielders Pape Matar Sarr and Yves Bissouma to Senegal and hosts Ivory Coast respectively.

While it may not seem overly significant that they are only losing two players, the pair have been dominant for Spurs in the middle of the park so far this season - and their absence will force a major rejig of how they deal with transition play.

Liverpool without their Pharoah

Similarly to Spurs, even though Liverpool are only sending one player to the Africa Cup of Nations, it could still have a major impact on their Premier League campaign.

The Reds' sole contribution to Afcon is none other than Egypt captain Mohamed Salah who, on top of being important as a leader, has also been the driving force behind just about anything positive Liverpool have done going forward so far this season with 22 goal involvements already.

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Nottingham Forest brigade

The most affected Premier League team is without a doubt Nottingham Forest, who have sent no fewer than six first-team players to the Ivory Coast for Afcon in Serge Aurier, Ibrahim Sangare, Willy Boly, Ola Aina, Moussa Niakhate and Cheikhou Kouyate.

It presents a significant challenge for Forest, who are looking to secure their place in the Premier League after avoiding relegation last season, with all of the six featuring regularly this season.

It is also significant that all six of them tend to play defensive roles, with four being outright defenders, leaving a massive hole to fill in the squad at the back.

Burnley's benefit

Bafana Bafana's loss is Burnley's gain after South Africa striker Lyle Foster withdrew his availability to play in Afcon so he could focus on his mental health. He will still be available to play for the Clarets in the Premier League.

Foster has already missed around two months of the season to receive specialist care for his mental health concerns and all parties agreed his being able to stay in England to focus on his recovery is the best solution for everyone.

The lucky few

While Forest has been virtually decimated by Afcon call-ups, some clubs have got off scot-free.

Whether by good luck or superior planning, defending Premier League champions Manchester City, Burnley and Newcastle United are not losing any players to either the Africa Cup of Nations or the Asia Cup being played at the same time.

Some might argue that Manchester United deserve to fall into the lucky category because they will be without Cameroon goalkeeper Andre Onana for a month.

2023 Africa Cup of Nations fixtures, groups and format explained

Premier League players at the Africa Cup of Nations:

Arsenal - Mohamed Elneny (Egypt)

Aston Villa - Bertrand Traore (Burkina Faso)

Bournemouth AFC - Dango Ouattara (Burkina Faso), Antoine Semenyo (Ghana)

Brentford - Yoane Wissa (DR Congo), Frank Onyeka (Nigeria)

Brighton & Hove Albion - Simon Adingra (Ivory Coast)

Burnley - None

Chelsea - Nicolas Jackson (Senegal)

Crystal Palace - Jordan Ayew (Ghana)

Everton - Idrissa Gueye (Senegal)

Fulham - Calvin Bassey (Nigeria), Alex Iwobi (Nigeria), Fode Ballo-Toure (Senegal)