The Premier League is set for a major six-week shake-up as a whopping 40 players are called up for national teams across two premier competitions.
Both the African and Asian confederations host their respective tournaments over the next month.
The Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) runs from 13 January to 11 February in Ivory Coast. The Asian Cup – where Australia’s Socceroos will compete – is in Qatar from 12 January to 10 February.
Socceroos players began arriving for a pre-tournament camp in Bahrain as early as January 1, and many other players competing in AFCON or the Asian Cup have already departed their clubs to link up with their national teams.
Stream Over 50 Sports Live & On-Demand with Kayo. New to Kayo? Start Your Free Trial Today >
Socceroos arrive for Asian Cup | 01:12
And on Wednesday morning (AEDT), the impact was clearly felt by West Ham, who wanted to select Mohammed Kudus against Brighton for one final match before leaving for AFCON – only to be denied the Ghanaian federation.
The next six weeks could prove crucial at both ends of the table. Some clubs will be decimated by departures, like Nottingham Forest, who lose six players, or Wolves and Brentford who have four players selected apiece.
Other clubs, like Liverpool and Tottenham, lose superstars in Mohamed Salah (Egypt) and Son Heung-Min (South Korea) respectively.
But some clubs will view the period as a chance to make up ground on their rivals. Manchester City, Newcastle and Burnley do not have any players competing in either the AFCON or Asian Cup.
Here’s who every club will be missing this month.
MORE COVERAGE
RUMOUR MILL: $136m PL flop in line for shock return; Euro giants set crucial Mbappe deadline
‘Escalating quickly’: Ange on verge of first big signing as Spurs boss eyes $65m PL star
Arsenal – 2
Mohamed Elneny (Midfielder, Egypt)
Takehiro Tomiyasu (Defender, Japan)
Thomas Partey (Midfielder, Ghana) – injured, not named
Aston Villa – 1
Bertrand Traore (Midfielder, Burkina Faso)
Bournemouth – 2
Dango Outtara (Forward, Burkina Faso)
Antoine Semenyo (Forward, Ghana)
Hamed Traore (Midfielder, Ivory Coast) – not named due to malaria
Brentford – 4
Saman Ghoddos (Midfielder, Iran)
Kim Ji-soo (Defender, South Korea)
Frank Onyeka (Midfielder, Nigeria)
Yoane Wissa (Forward, DR Congo)
Bryan Mbeumo (Midfield, Cameroon) – injured, not named
Brighton – 2
Simon Adingra (Forward, Ivory Coast)
Kaoru Mitoma (Forward, Japan)
Samy Chouchane (Midfielder, Tunisia) – not selected in final squad
Burnley – 0
Lyle Foster (Forward, South Africa) – not named due to mental health
MORE NEWS
Reds lock down top spot in PL after penalty drama in bonkers six-goal thriller
Liverpool star’s ‘f***ing embarrassing’ dive roasted by legends as VAR flops again
Manchester United flop exits as Premier League transfer window officially opens
Chelsea – 1
Nicolas Jackson (Forward, Senegal)
Crystal Palace – 1
Jordan Ayew (Forward, Ghana)
Cheick Doucoure (Midfielder, Mali) – injured, not named.
Everton – 1
Idrissa Gueye (Midfielder, Senegal)
Fulham – 3
Fode Ballo-Toure (Defender, Senegal)
Calvin Bassey (Defender, Nigeria)
Alex Iwobi (Midfielder, Nigeria)
Liverpool – 2
Wataru Endo (Midfielder, Japan)
Mohamed Salah (Forward, Egypt)
Luton Town – 1
Issa Kabore (Defender, Burkina Faso)
Pelly-Ruddock Mpanzu (Midfielder, DR Congo) – not named in final squad
Manchester City – 0
Manchester United – 3
Sofyan Amrabat (Midfielder, Morocco)
Amad Diallo (Forward, Ivory Coast)
Andre Onana (Goalkeeper, Cameroon)
Hannibal Mejbri (Midfielder, Tunisia) – asked not to be selected
Newcastle – 0
Nottingham Forest – 6
Ola Aina (Defender, Nigeria)
Serge Aurier (Defender, Ivory Coast)
Willy Boly (Defender, Ivory Coast)
Cheikhou Kouyate (Midfielder, Senegal)
Moussa Niakhate (Defender, Senegal)
Ibrahim Sangare (Midfielder, Ivory Coast)
Sheffield United – 2
Yasser Larouci (Defender, Algeria)
Anis Ben Slimane (Midfielder, Tunisia)
Benie Traore (Forward, Ivory Coast) – not named in final squad
Tottenham – 3
Yves Bissouma (Midfielder, Mali)
Son Heung-min (Forward, South Korea)
Pape Matar Sarr (Midfielder, Senegal)
West Ham – 2
Nayef Aguerd (Defender, Morocco)
Mohammed Kudus (Midfielder, Ghana)
Maxwel Cornet (Forward, Ivory Coast) – not named in final squad
Said Benrahma (Forward, Algeria) – not named in final squad
Wolves – 4
Hwang Hee-chan (Midfielder, South Korea)
Justin Hubner (Defender, Indonesia)
Rayan Ait-Nouri (Defender, Algeria)
Boubacar Traore (Midfielder, Mali)
Discussion about this post