Southampton fans could be forgiven for anticipating a busy January, with Championship fixtures coming thick and fast and the third round of the FA Cup, but one factor they may not have consider is the African Cup of Nations.
The international tournament starts on 13th January with the final being played 11th February, meaning any players representing teams expected to do well could miss a number of games.
Southampton currently have five fixtures in this period, but this could be more if Russell Martin‘s side process in the FA Cup. Any players called up would likely also miss the FA Cup game against Walsall on January 6th to join up with their international side ahead of the tournament.
Southampton have two players who have been capped internationally by African nations competing in the 2024 edition of AFCON, with Kamaldeen Sulemana and Joe Aribo representing Ghana and Nigeria respectively. Both players have been named in their country’s provisional squads, although this is no guarantee that they will make the final squad given that Ghana have announced an initial 55-man squad whilst Nigeria have included 40 players.
How likely are Southampton to lose Joe Aribo and Kamaldeen Sulemana to AFCON?
Given that each nation involved in AFCON may only take 27 players to the tournament in the Ivory Coast, there is still a chance that both Sulemana and Aribo will not make the final cut for their respective sides.
Currently, it can be assumed that Sulemana is the less likely of the two to compete in AFCON next month. The 21-year-old has been out since picking up a hamstring injury against Bristol City at the end of November and is not expected to be back until at least late January. That, coupled with the fact that Sulemana was not selected by Ghana for the last international break mean that he may well be spending January in England.
Aribo on the other hand, has been involved in recent Nigeria squads and has also undergone something of a revival at club level in recent weeks. The 27-year old has started four league games in a row after initially coming in for the ill Flynn Downes against Watford before retaining his starting spot for the next two.
Aribo has been capped by his country 23 times, scoring twice at international level, and started Nigeria’s last game in a 1-1 draw with Zimbabwe. Given his recent improvement at club level, it would be a surprise if Aribo was not in the 27-man squad.
Can Southampton cope if Aribo and Sulemana go to AFCON?
If the worst case scenario occurs and both Aribo and Sulemana do head to AFCON, both Nigeria and Ghana will be two of the sides fancied to go deep into the competition.
This would likely mean the pair missing a number of games at an important point of the season, but could Martin’s side cope with their extended absence?
In truth, it is a situation that Southampton should be reasonably comfortable they will be able to cope with. As referred to, the Saints have been without Sulemana for their past five games and, whilst Southampton have missed his phenomenal speed, they have won three and drawn two in his absence. The problem is that, without the unpredictability that Sulemana provides, Southampton have struggled to create and looked blunt in attack at times. That was, until they hammered Blackburn Rovers 4-0 last weekend.
Add to that the fact that there is expected top be interest in Southampton’s record signing in January and it is likely Martin and Southampton have a contingency plan should Sulemana be missing.
Aribo’s departure would not have been considered too problematic a matter of weeks ago, but the Nigerian has really proven his worth over the last four games and suddenly his absence is something Southampton could really do without.
The midfielder has struggled to ever really tie down a regular place since joining the club in the summer of 2022 and may have been looking to leave the club in January for more game time until his recent revival. Now, Aribo represents a valuable member of the squad and appears to have shown Martin that his best position is as one of the number eights in front of the imperious on-loan Downes.
If Aribo were to get the AFCON call-up, Southampton should be able to cope provided that they do not pick up any injuries. Midfield is an area that the club are well stocked, with Downes, Will Smallbone, Shea Charles, Stuart Armstrong and even Carlos Alcaraz all options; albeit the latter tends to play as a false nine under Martin.
The reality is that Southampton should be able to cope should both Sulemana and Aribo not be available for the month long tournament and it is unlikely to result in any knee-jerk transfer activity from the club.