West Ham United are currently 17th in the Premier League, and only above the relegation places on goal difference. The club has failed to build on its Europa Conference League success and now faces a battle to avoid dropping down to the Championship.
It would be a catastrophe for West Ham to be relegated, especially as they now play at the London Stadium, which was supposed to take the Hammers to another level. There have been supporter protests recently, and fan anger will not be helped by two key players going to the Africa Cup of Nations.
Aaron Wan-Bissaka of DR Congo and El Hadji Malick Diouf of Senegal will both be at the tournament. They will miss at least three Premier League games, but could miss up to six should they make it to the final. The tournament is to be played from December 21 to January 18.
The players West Ham will be without due to AFCON
Aaron Wan-Bissaka – DR Congo
Aaron Wan-Bissaka performed well for the Hammers last season, after a mixed time at Manchester United. He scored twice and made five assists in 36 Premier League games for West Ham. However, in this campaign, he has missed games due to illness. This has meant that Wan-Bissaka has played just eight league games, without scoring, but has made one assist.
Wan-Bissaka set up Sven Botman’s own-goal in a crucial 3-1 win for the Hammers over Newcastle United. West Ham backed up this performance by defeating Burnley 3-2. They then drew 2-2 with Bournemouth despite being two goals ahead. The DR Congo international played 90 minutes in each of these games.
He played for England at the U20 and U21 levels before switching his international allegiance to Congo. Wan-Bissaka was born in London, but qualifies to play for the African side through his heritage. He was called up to the England senior squad in 2019, but was forced to withdraw through injury.
It was always going to be difficult for Wan-Bissaka to play for England as he was competing with the likes of Kyle Walker, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Kieran Trippier, and Reece James. The right-back switched to play for Congo this year and has made six appearances for them.
His record with Congo is very good, having won five and lost just one match. The only defeat was in World Cup qualifiers against Senegal, who topped their group. DR Congo finished second, which meant they qualified for the playoffs. They won Africa’s playoffs by defeating Nigeria in the final. However, they now have to go through the inter-confederation play-offs in Mexico next March.
This will be Wan-Bissaka’s first AFCON, and his Congo side is in Group D, alongside Benin, Botswana, and Senegal.
El Hadji Malick Diouf – Senegal
It will be interesting for West Ham fans to see Wan-Bissaka’s Congo face El Hadji Malick Diouf’s Senegal in the group stage. Diouf is in his first season at the London Stadium after signing from Slavia Prague last summer.
The Senegal international has already made three assists in 12 Premier League games for the Hammers. However, he is yet to score his first goal for the club. The left-back has also been able to play as a left-midfielder when the Hammers have opted to play with three central defenders.
His Senegal side has already qualified for next summer’s World Cup. They will be one of the favorites to make a deep run in AFCON this season, having also won the 2021 edition of the tournament. This is bad news for the Hammers, as they will likely be without Diouf for some time. His Senegal team is very talented and also includes the likes of Sadio Mané, Nicolas Jackson, and Idrissa Gueye.
