January can be declared an official period of moaning for managers, with the number of players potentially leaving their clubs to appear in the African Cup of Nations double the previous highest. A possible 44 players could be summoned to Ghana for five weeks in the new year, compared with 21 when the tournament was previously played two years ago, and the numbers add up to a big boost for Manchester United in the title race. The successes of African players at Arsenal and Chelsea have encouraged their Barclays Premier League rivals to follow the same route and a heavy price will be paid when the biennial tournament comes around. The event takes place between January 20 and February 10, but countries are allowed by Fifa to call up players on January 6 to prepare. Only United, Manchester City and Aston Villa do not have players who may represent one of the 16 countries in the tournament and the Old Trafford club may have a considerable advantage over their rivals among the big four. Chelsea, Arsenal and Liverpool are likely to receive bad news when the squads of the 16 competing nations are announced, with Avram Grant’s team particularly weakened. Chelsea are expected to be without three players who appear to be first choice in Didier Drogba, Michael Essien and John Obi Mikel, while Salomon Kalou, an Ivory Coast teammate of Drogba, is also likely to be picked. The same country should take Kolo Touré and Emmanuel Eboué off Arsenal’s hands, although Emmanuel Adebayor remains in England after Togo’s failure to qualify. Liverpool have only the possible absence of Mohamed Sissoko, the Mali midfield player, to concern them, but Portsmouth could suffer the most. Papa Bouba Diop, Sulley Muntari and John Utaka, the midfield regulars, are due to play in the tournament, along with Kanu, their back-up striker.Those chosen for the African Cup of Nations could miss eight matches. Between the player-release date and the final of the competition, clubs are scheduled to play five league fixtures as well as a possible FA Cup fourth-round tie and a two-leg Carling Cup semi-final. The issue is not cut and dried, though. In the past, England-based African players have withdrawn from tournaments or ended their international careers under pressure from their clubs or because they have fallen out with their country’s coach or football association.Another hope for clubs is that, in the past, some have struck deals with the country involved to allow their player to stay in England during the run-up to the tournament. The clubs will also be keen that their players’ countries exit at the group stage, which ends on January 31, allowing an early return.
