Egyptian winger Mohamed Salah had a stellar 2017/18 season after he joined Liverpool from AS Roma last summer. Here are five top African players who will hope to follow in his footsteps after changing clubs in this current transfer window.
Jean Michael Seri
Not many people would have predicted that Jean Michael Seri would have ended up at Fulham. He had been strongly linked with a move to Barcelona at a time like this last year, after all. The Ivory Coast midfielder did not have as great a campaign at Nice last season as many would have expected, perhaps as the consequence of the collapse of his mooted transfer to Barça playing on his mind.
It was quite a coup for Slavisa Jokanović and his Fulham side to secure the signature of the 27-year old ahead of more illustrious rivals. A good season from him might just prove to be the difference between success and failure for the Cottagers in 2018/19.
Kwadwo Asamoah
Kwadwo Asamoah spent six highly successful years at Juventus before joining Inter Milan last month in search of more regular football. The versatile Ghanaian can play both as a midfielder and a defender but he was never a fixture in the Bianconeri’s starting team during his time in Turin.
He will likely be accorded that opportunity under Luciano Spalletti at Inter Milan.
Riyad Mahrez
Riyad Mahrez’s transfer from Leicester City to Manchester City was quite protracted, as it dragged across at least two transfer windows. Now that the Algerian is finally under the tutelage of Pep Guardiola at the Etihad, he has his work cut out for him. He might have been a guaranteed starter at Leicester, but he now has to contend with the likes of Raheem Sterling, Leroy Sané and even Sergio Aguero for a starting spot.
Purely based on past evidence, Mahrez is probably the one player in this list who has the capacity to come close to achieving the success that Salah did last season.
Naby Keita
Liverpool boss Jürgen Klopp has spent this transfer window plugging critical areas of his squad. Naby Keita – although officially signed last summer – has arrived this year to strengthen the Reds’ midfield. The Guinean will add steel and energy to the engine room at Anfield.
His relentless style has seen him likened in some quarters to N’Golo Kanté of Chelsea. If he can have half the impact, Liverpool fans are in for a treat.
Benik Afobé
Democratic Republic of Congo striker Benik Afobé is the least glamorous name here, not least because he will ply his trade in the English Championship next season. The former Arsenal charge has had an eventful summer which saw him move to relegated Stoke City very shortly after sealing a permanent transfer to promoted Wolverhampton Wanderers.
He might not hit the Ballon D’Or contending heights of Salah, but he will be a hero in his own right if he can score the goals to help Stoke bounce straight back to the Premier League.