The traditional Big Six in the Premier League will be losing some key players as AFCON begins. It will force certain players to step up to fill these gaps.
The Red side of Manchester will be losing some key players during AFCON. In terms of the attack, summer signing Bryan Mbuemo, a bright spark for United this season, will depart for Cameroon. They will also lose another attacking outlet in Amad Diallo, who will be linking up with current AFCON holders Ivory Coast. United's defense will be weakened also, as they will lose Moroccan defender Noussair Mazraoui. The Defender has become a staple in United's defense and has become a favourite at Old Trafford.
Summer signing Benjamin Šeško is the obvious choice to fill in the shoes for Mbuemo. The former RB Leipzig striker has had a mixed start to his United career, scoring twice in twelve league games. Šeško has also struggled for minutes- but will be hopeful to be more involved with Mbuemo absent. Elsewhere it is unclear who could step into Diallo's role however Mason Mount could possibly fill the shoes. Diallo is a key player under Amorim, so his absence may necessitate a change of system. Dorgu and Dalot are both ready to step in for Mazraoui in the defence.
Elsewhere the Blue side of Manchester will not be as greatly affected by AFCON. Defender Rayan Aït-Nouri will be joining with former Manchester City winger Riyad Mahrez for the Algerian national team. Aït-Nouri has only played in five league games since joining the Citizens from Wolves in the summer. Manchester City will also lose Egyptian forward Omar Marmoush. The striker did amazingly well after joining City last january picking up 7 goals in the top flight. He has failed to score yet this season in the league, playing deputy to Erling Haaland.
Whilst neither of these players are regular starters for Pep Guardiola's side, losing them will weaken the depth of the squad in this vital stage of the season. Players like Rico Lewis may be called upon as a full back option. There is no obvious choice for who would serve as deputy to Haaland, this could open space for an academy player or a change of role for a player like Cherki or Doku.
The defending champions will only lose one man to AFCON, one of the greatest ever Premier League players- Mohamed Salah. The Egyptian winger won the Premier League golden boot last season, those goals carried Liverpool to a second Premier League title. Salah has faced criticism this season and only recently resolved a public row with Liverpool manager Arne Slot. After a period out of the side Slot brought Salah back in for their game against Brighton where he assisted Hugo Ekitke's second goal.
During Salah's time out of the team, Curtis Jones and summer signing Florian Wirtz filled in on the right wing. Arne Slot has many attacking options however, such as Isak and Ektike who he could ask to play on the right. Amidst these issues this season we may see Liverpool move in the January transfer window for a long term solution.
Midfield duo Yves Bissouma and Pape Matar Sarr are Tottenham's departing players. Bissouma will be joining up with Mali team mates in the hope of winning the nations first ever title. Meanwhile Pape Matar Sarr will join up with Senegal, who won the tournament back in 2022. Sarr was part of this squad and will hope to get a second AFCON winners medal to his name.
Bissouma has struggled for minutes in Thomas Frank's side, with the arrival of Paliniha and Archie Gray's continued development. Pape Matar Sarr has had more minutes however he has struggled in recent weeks after a strong start to the season. Losing two midfield options will hurt Spurs however Lucas Bergvall and Rodrigo Bentancur are also able to fill in their place.
These two London clubs are the only two of the big six that will not lose any players to the African Cup of Nations. This will be good news for the Gunners as they currently lead in the Premier League table. Chelsea will also be thankful as they continue to push for Champions League football next season.
