Five African stars in the English top flight have wreaked havoc this season, proving a problem for their Premier League opposition.
Some of the greatest players to have ever come from the continent have graced the Premier League since its inception. Legends such as Didier Drogba, Lucas Radebe, Yaya Toure and his brother Kolo, Emmanuel Adebayor, Sadio Mane and more all made big impacts that the league will remember forever, and the current crop of African stars in the EPL have continued the trend by leaving it all on the pitch and playing crucial roles in helping their clubs meet their respective targets.
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Yoanne Wissa Bryan Mbeumo
Although Brentford have struggled a little bit this season considering they are 15th on the league table with 35 points after winning nine matches, drawing eight and losing 17, one shudders to think where they would be without their African stars, Wissa from DR Congo and Cameroon's Mbeumo.
Together, the pair have contributed an impressive 24 league goals, which amounts to almost half of the Bees' total tally of 52. Wissa has netted on 10 occasions while assisting one further strike, while his Cameroonian teammate has scored eight times and provided for five goals. Given that Thomas Frank's side has conceded 59 times, the attacking duo's contribution may very well have saved them from a relegation scrap in the final part of the season. They are currently 10 points clear of the dreaded drop zone and many thanks should be directed towards their African heroes.
Mohammed Kudus
The Ghanaian has been a revelation for West Ham United, netting goals for them in every competition they are in. He helped them reach the quarter-finals of the UEFA Europa League, where the side was knocked out by Bundesliga champions Bayer Leverkusen. It was in this tournament that he scored a superb solo goal against SC Freiburg in the round of 16, picking the ball up in his own half, beating defender after defender to eventually slot the ball into the back of the net.
In the Premier League, meanwhile, he has amassed seven goals and four assists in 29 appearances, proving to be a very important player for David Moyes. The 23-year-old is an attacker who can do everything: dribble past players, create opportunities for teammates and slot the ball into the back of the net. And according to his Scottish manager, the forward's best is yet to come.
"Mohammed Kudus is just not important to us for this tie but he has been important for us all season," the manager said, per 3 News via africanfootball.com. "He will be important for us going forward in the future as well. He is a young boy who has just come into the Premier League and has settled in incredibly well. We are really enjoying the way he is playing for West Ham, I think he has a lot of development to come in the future and he is settling in nicely here."
Mohamed Salah
While he has not been in the best of form of late, the Egyptian mega-star still proved he can produce staggering numbers. Granted, he has only scored two goals in his past seven league appearances, but his 17 strikes and nine assists in 28 games is still very impressive.
Some of the club's faithful believe the winger has just not been the same since picking up an injury at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations, but, according to Transfermarkt, he has been involved in 35% of the Reds' goals this season, which has come in handy considering Liverpool are involved in a race for the league title.
Andre Onana
It was a difficult start to life in England for the Manchester United star, but he eventually settled into the role as Old Trafford's No. 1, and some would even argue that he is one of the club's contenders for Player of the Season award. While others may deem that to be a weird claim, one just needs to look a little bit deeper to understand the crucial role he has played for the Red Devils this season.
According to Opta Analyst, the Cameroon international has faced 166 shots this season – the third most in the league. Only Luton Town's Thomas Kaminski and Sheffield United keeper Wes Foderingham have faced more, and both of their teams occupy places in the relegation zone. Despite facing a barrage of shots in almost every match he has played in during the current campaign, Onana has conceded only 43 times, a number that could very well be even better if United's defensive issues are completely sorted out.
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