International development set to spell bad news for West Ham United in January
The qualification of Ghana for the upcoming African Cup of Nations (AFCON) could potentially spell bad news for West Ham this season.
The country, which new Hammers signing Mohammed Kudus represents, earned its place in the tournament following a 3-1 win over Central African Republic on 7 September as the 23-year-old got on the scoresheet.
The forward will be joined at AFCON in January by Nayef Aguerd, Said Benrahma and Maxwel Cornet, who will be playing in his home country as the Ivory Coast is hosting the tournament.
It always presents a headache for managers when their players head off to play in the month-long competition in the middle of the season.
Unfortunately for West Ham, they are set to be massively affected by AFCON this time around, with four of their players likely to receive call-ups.
But it is a huge occasion for African players, so you can’t blame them for wanting to take part in the tournament even if the timing will be far from ideal.
Although Kudus has only made one appearance since making the move to the Irons from Ajax, there is a good chance he could be a major part of the side by the time January comes around.
The Ghanaian has been brought in to add to David Moyes’ attack, with the squad currently lacking options in the forward areas.
The loss of Benrahma will also be a major blow given that the Algerian is a regular starter at the London Stadium and offers something different from some of the other options in the side.
The 28-year-old winger, who has scored 24 goals and laid on 19 assists in 137 appearances for the club, has already started in three of the four matches in the Premier League this season.
One player that would have been in line to replace him is Cornet, but he will also be heading off to AFCON with the Ivory Coast.
There are question marks, though, around whether he will still be in East London by the time the tournament comes around after he was linked with a move to Everton towards the end of the transfer window.
The biggest loss for the Hammers looks set to be Aguerd after the Moroccan has massively impressed during his time at the club since arriving from Rennes last summer.
He is one of the first names on Moyes’ teamsheet and his absence is probably why the Irons boss was keen to add a new centre-back over the summer, with Konstantinos Mavropanos joining from VfB Stuttgart.
There is no doubt that the club will miss those players during their time at AFCON, but perhaps they may look to secure a couple of deals early in the January window to ensure they are not left short.
Fortunately it is unlikely to have any impact on the East Londoners’ aspirations in Europe as the group stages will have finished and the knockout rounds won’t start until after the competition comes to an end.
But the Hammers will be desperate to get as much points on the board in the Premier League by that point following their strong start to the season.
In other West Ham news, a journalist has shared how one signing could be made after the Hammers’ recent actions.