The Africa Cup of Nations reached a dramatic climax on Sunday night with Sadio Mane dispatching the winning penalty as Senegal emerged victorious over Mohamed Salah’s Egypt.
Along with Liverpool’s two finalists, team-mate Naby Keita and Blues star Alex Iwobi both cruised through the group stages with Guinea and Nigeria but found themselves out after shock round of 16 exits.
This helped provide a stage for some of the continent’s unexpected nations to show off their talented players, and as is the case usually following an international tournament, their stock rises, and they gain new admirers as the next transfer window rolls around.
So, with five months to continue scouting AFCON’s standout performers in their domestic leagues before the summer window opens, these are some suggestions for Jurgen Klopp and Frank Lampard to keep an eye on.
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Karl Toko Ekambi
Toko Ekambi played a pivotal role in Cameroon’s tournament, contributing five goals in seven appearances as the Indomitable Lions clawed their way to a third-place finish on home soil.
The left-sided winger is no stranger to good form either, as this season he has notched 11 goals and four assists for Lyon in 23 appearances in all competitions.
While Liverpool appear to have had their fill of attackers, recently stocking up on Luis Diaz, Toko Ekambi could prove a reliable, and potentially cheap option for Everton.
The 29-year-old signed for Les Gones in 2020 for £10 million and is out of contract in 2024, so a deal struck at the right time for any fee up to what his current club paid for him could prove to be low risk.
He is also well versed in playing the left attacker role of the 3-4-3 formation for Lyon, like the one Lampard utilised in his debut 4-1 FA Cup victory over Brentford.
Abdou Diallo or Edmond Tapsoba
Both centre back options prove to be worthy of the Premier League, with experience in Europe at club level to complement their strong AFCON performances. Also at 25 and 23 respectively, the best years of their playing careers are still ahead.
Diallo played every single minute for first-time winners Senegal, even scoring in the semi-final. His current role at PSG is that of a back-up option, having only featured 13 times so far this campaign, so an exit could be on the cards for someone as evidently talented.
Similarly, Tapsoba played every minute of the tournament as Burkina Faso were knocked out at the semi-final stage. A deal may be harder to strike for him given the factors of his age, promise, and current contract running to 2026 with Bayer Leverkusen, though striking now could prevent losing out in future.
Klopp and Lampard are fans of centre backs capable of playing with the ball, and Diallo and Tapsoba’s stats both demonstrate this. The former has averaged a pass completion of rate of 86.6% this season, whilst the latter is not far behind with 85.4%.
Ibrahim Sangare
While two-time AFCON champions Ivory Coast saw their tournament ended at the round of 16 stage by Egypt, they still managed to top Group E unbeaten.
One standout performer in the Elephants’ side was PSV Eindhoven’s Sangare, who proved himself a midfield option capable of turning defence into attack with ease.
Operating in a defensive role of a midfield three, Sangare provided a goal and an assist in four appearances, as well as averaging 2.3 key passes per 90 minutes – the seventh highest at the tournament.
At 24 and with a lot to offer, he could potentially be a successor for either Fabinho or Allan in the engine room of Liverpool or Everton’s midfield.
Kalidou Koulibaly
Senegal’s captain needs little introduction. He’s been linked to Everton and Liverpool, along with most other clubs in Europe, over recent years, but has remained at Napoli, who are currently locked in a three-way Serie A title race with AC and Inter Milan.
His strength and composure on the ball are real assets to both his club and country, and even nursing an injury back to full fitness at AFCON he made the job of defending look easy as he helped Senegal to the joint-highest clean sheets at the tournament.
Now aged 30, and out of contract in the summer of 2023, a cut-price deal may be achievable in the summer, though recent reports in Italy suggest he is destined to pen a new deal in Naples.
The thought of a partnership with Reds defender Virgil van Dijk is a frightening prospect, whilst to boost Everton’s hopes, Koulibaly’s age may be off-putting for some of Europe’s elite, so Lampard may be able to swoop in and emulate his Thiago Silva signing for Chelsea in 2020.
