In recent years, the Premier League has been no stranger to mid-season international tournaments. The introduction of the UEFA Nations League, EUROs and World Cup qualification and even a World Cup itself taking place last winter really hammered home the amount of matches players are now forced to play across the length of a campaign.
But now it’s time for the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), with the draw for the competition taking place tonight at the Parc des Expositions d’Abidjan in Abidjan, the economic capital and the largest city in the host nation of the Ivory Coast. The 26 attending teams will be drawn into groups of four, of which the top two from each group as well as the four best-performing third-place teams will move on into the knockout stages.
With that being said, soccerhuz.com took a look at every player from Arsenal, Chelsea and Tottenham that’ll be attending the competition with their respective nations.
Arsenal
Mohamed Elneny – Egypt
Having only recently made his return to club football following a lengthy injury that saw him miss the start of the season on the sidelines, Mohamed Elneny will no doubt play a big part in Egypt’s revenge tour over the winter. After finishing runners-up in the 2021 edition of the competition, they’ll want to add another trophy to their cabinet which would widen the gap between them and the rest of the continent as the prolific winners of the competition.
The Gunners midfielder will be looking to get his 91st cap for his country at the tournament, having already played at three different editions of the tournament (2017, 2019, 2021). Despite only playing very limited minutes under Mikel Arteta this season so far, Elneny is still expected to be a shoo-in for the Egyptian squad as the Pharaohs try and make it one step better this time around.
Thomas Partey – Ghana
Another Arsenal star that has been blighted by injury this season, Thomas Partey will be hoping to bring Ghana back to their glory days over the winter. The country hasn’t won an AFCON since 1982 with nine different nations having won the competition since then.
So far this season, Partey’s involvement has been limited due to a persistent groin injury he picked up during the first international break with the Ghanaian national team back in September. Before that, he’d been utilised at right-back by Arteta as opposed to his more natural centre-midfield role but returned to play the final 15 minutes against Manchester City last weekend.
Chelsea
Nicolas Jackson – Senegal
After arriving at Stamford Bridge this summer, Nicolas Jackson has proved a polarizing figure. While the Senegalese frontman has gotten himself into great positions, there was a period where the goals simply weren’t dropping for him, with rushed finishes and erratic movements in front of goal making Blues fans worried.
But having finally found the back of the net against Brighton in the Carabao Cup, he’s looked more dangerous than ever and will no doubt be a key part of the Senegal team that are trying to retain their AFCON title. Jackson seems to have settled well at Chelsea under Mauricio Pochettino and could be a big loss for the Blues if they’re unable to replace him with their continuing injury crisis.
Tottenham
Pape Matar Sarr – Senegal
Despite only being 21, this will be the second AFCON Pape Sarr has attended, with the Spurs midfielder now looking to help his nation become the first back-to-back winners of the competition since Egypt won three in a row in 2006, 2008 and 2010.
The youngster’s rise up the pecking order under Ange Postecoglou has been nothing short of exceptional, with him banging in his first goal in a Spurs shirt earlier this season in their 2-0 win over Manchester United and he’ll be sorely missed by the league leaders when he leaves for the tournament.
Yves Bissouma – Mali
Returning to the country of his birth, Yves Bissouma has shown exactly why Spurs went so hard after him last season to bring him over from Brighton. Since Postecoglou took over, he’s finally seemed to come out of his shell in north London and shown what he’s capable of.
His playmaking has been top-notch so far this season, and he’ll be the main star in a Mali team that haven’t reached the final of the competition since 1972. Perhaps the current crop of talent will be enough to finally take them all the way.
