Arsenal had to face a full strength Sunderland team at the weekend, but several of their London-based rivals could get lucky during the African Cup of Nations.
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No transfer is ever risk free, however, there are some players who have red flags attached to their profiles for a variety of reasons.
Sometimes, a previous knee operation can be the difference between deciding who to sign as a short-list narrows, so too can be a players disciplinary record. One other inconvenience for European teams is when they lose key players to the African Cup of Nations during one of the busiest periods of the season in terms of fixtures.
London clubs set to benefit from AFCON weakened Sunderland
One of the teams who will be heavily affected is Sunderland who could have as many as seven players called up by their respective countries, unfortunately for Arsenal, they have already made the trip up to the North East and found out to their cost just how competitive the Black Cats are after their summer recruitment.
The mid-season AFCON could affect Arsenal and other London based clubs though and an entirely different Sunderland team.
Habib Diarra will represent Senegal, with a groin injury unlikely to prevent him from being called up and reporting for duty, Simon Adingra is a regular for Ivory Coast whilst it would be a surprise if Noah Sadiki and Arthur Masuaku aren’t selected for DR Congo.
Reinildo will play for Mozambique and Bertrand Traore for Burkino Faso. Chemsdine Talbi is also now being tipped to be absent for Sunderland which could give them a difficult four weeks during a period of the season where injuries can be a factor.
Arsenal title rivals set to face an easier Sunderland
One of the teams certain to have an easier time of it is Man City, who play Sunderland before the group stages of AFCON finish on New Year’s Eve. It will be a team significantly weaker than the one Arsenal faced in which remains a strange anomaly of the international fixture calendar. It would make more sense for European clubs to approach UEFA to have their international fixtures at the same time, rather than in three or four blocks throughout the early stages of the season instead.
Tottenham Hotspur also look set to benefit, although in their case, they will also have several players missing so, it could come down to which club has the better squad depth for the January 4th clash. The players who are eliminated at the end of the group stages might make the match day squads for this round of Premier League games, but starting them could put them at risk due to the difference in temperature and the lengthy journeys to return to England.
Brentford and Crystal Palace will be hoping that Sunderland’s African contingent go well in the tournament with the Bees due to face the Black Cats just a few days after they play Spurs. Only those who make it to the latter stages should be missing by the time Palace face Sunderland. If any of them are drawn in the third round of the FA Cup, they could line up against a heavily rotated team with Regis Le Bris having to rotate what will already be a depleted squad.