12 African Storylines Shaping the Premier League Season

The Premier League’s African core has never looked this layered. Superstars, late bloomers, big-money gambles and players on their last roll of the dice all walk into 26-27 knowing the margin for error is shrinking.

Here are 12 African storylines that will shape the season in England’s top flight.

Carlos Baleba – Brighton & Hove Albion

Same player, same club, same cloud.

Baleba begins another campaign still at Brighton, still heavily linked to Manchester United, still waiting for the move that has hovered over him for a year. The transfer collapsed last summer, and his football went with it. Head coach Fabian Hurzeler did not hide his frustration, accusing the Cameroon midfielder of letting the saga derail his focus.

He never truly rediscovered his sparkling 24-25 level. Now the context at Old Trafford has changed. Casemiro is gone, United’s need for a central midfielder is sharper, and Michael Carrick’s presence offers an education few young players could turn down.

At 22, Baleba stands on the edge of a bigger stage and, this time, a more stable United dressing room. The question is whether the move finally happens – and whether he is ready when it does.

Amad Diallo – Manchester United

The World Cup reminded everyone what Amad Diallo can do.

Back from an encouraging tournament with Ivory Coast, the winger returns to United with momentum. He was used sparingly by Emerse Fae, but made his minutes count: a superb winner against Ecuador, then the equaliser in the chaotic last-16 defeat to Norway.

He is 24 now. No longer the raw prospect tucked away as a “future” option. Under Ruben Amorim he produced flashes, but this season he has to turn cameos into command, talent into a starting shirt.

Diallo is technically immaculate, slippery in tight spaces and capable of outrageous moments. The Premier League is full of players like that. Can he turn the highlights reel into week‑to‑week influence and become one of its main attractions?

Iliman Ndiaye – Everton

Few players can light up a game in short bursts like Iliman Ndiaye.

He played only 113 minutes at the World Cup, yet still came away with a goal and two assists, hijacking the spotlight whenever he appeared. That is the tease with him: so much ability, still not fully unlocked.

At Everton, that sense lingers. David Moyes has not quite worked out how – or where – to get the best from him. Is he a 10? A drifting forward? A wide creator? While the debate continues, Saudi clubs circle and reports say the 26-year-old has turned down a new contract.

If he stays at Goodison Park, the equation is simple. Nine direct goal involvements last season is not enough for a player with his talent. Either this becomes the year he explodes, or the year Everton cash in.

Nicolas Jackson – Chelsea

Nicolas Jackson’s future looked clearer a few weeks ago. It no longer does.

After a loan spell at Bayern Munich, there was a sense he might get a genuine second chance at Chelsea. Xabi Alonso spoke warmly about the striker, even as Jackson struggled to make an impact at the World Cup.

Then came the jolt. Reports in the Telegraph say the 25-year-old is among a dozen players told to train away from the first team. That is as blunt a message as any: there is no Stamford Bridge redemption on the table.

A move to Aston Villa, where he would reunite with former Villarreal boss Unai Emery, hangs in the air. At 6'2, mobile and still not at his peak, Jackson stands at a career crossroads. Villa Park could be the place he finally settles – or another stop in a career still searching for a true home.

Antoine Semenyo – Manchester City

Antoine Semenyo walked into Manchester City and behaved as if he had always belonged there.

He adapted quickly, impressed at one of Europe’s true giants and crowned his first months with a gorgeous winner in the FA Cup final. That is how you announce yourself.

Now the landscape has shifted. Pep Guardiola has gone, taking with him one of the game’s great attacking tutors. For Semenyo, that is a loss – but also a challenge. He must prove his early impact was not just a product of Guardiola’s system.

Minutes at City are always scarce. Even so, the Ghana forward can aim high. Surpassing the 20-goal mark is not an outlandish target, especially if he continues to build his understanding with Erling Haaland. If he manages that, he becomes more than a success story. He becomes a pillar of City’s next era.

Brandon Thomas-Asante – Coventry City

Brandon Thomas-Asante has taken the long road. Now he finally reaches the summit.

The Ghana international arrives in the Premier League at 27, having climbed through the lower leagues and forced his way into the national team. At the World Cup he played just 51 minutes but still delivered the decisive assist in the opener against Panama, a flash of his knack for big moments.

Speaking to ESPN, he did not hide his joy at this breakthrough: years of “holding out and holding out, pushing, pushing,” to reach the division he always believed he belonged in.

Coventry will lean on his pace, aggression and eye for goal. The leap in quality is steep, and competition for minutes will be brutal. Does he become a late-blooming Premier League menace, or a story of a dream reached but not quite grasped?

Taiwo Awoniyi – Coventry City

For Taiwo Awoniyi, this feels like last-chance territory.

Coventry have paid £9 million to bring the Nigeria striker from Nottingham Forest and bulk up their attack for their return to the top flight. They know what they are buying: intelligence, power, penalty-box instincts – and a player whose Premier League numbers have stalled.

Awoniyi has not hit double figures in the league since 2022-23. Last season brought just four goals, with injuries a constant nuisance. Coventry cannot afford that kind of output from their main centre-forward.

At 29, there may not be another opportunity at this level. Stay fit, score regularly and he becomes the signing that keeps Coventry afloat. Fall short, and the Super Eagles frontman risks drifting out of the division for good.

Yoane Wissa – Newcastle United

Yoane Wissa arrived at Newcastle United with a £50 million price tag and the expectation to match. What followed was a nightmare debut season.

Injuries slowed him early. Even after he opened his account in the EFL Cup in December, the league goals never came. By the end of the campaign, he had just one in the Premier League. For a 29-year-old signed as a ready-made weapon, that return was brutal.

This year, the excuses vanish. Eddie Howe has gone, the squad is being reshaped, and Wissa must fight for his place in a new-look side.

Is he part of the solution, or a symbol of an era Newcastle are trying to move on from? The answer will define how his time in the North East is remembered.

Bryan Mbeumo – Manchester United

Bryan Mbeumo left Brentford and never looked out of place in Manchester United red.

In his first season at Old Trafford, the Cameroon international proved he belonged at the very top. His clever movement, relentless running and consistency helped United ride out the turbulence of Ruben Amorim’s final weeks in charge.

The bar now rises. Twenty league goals should be his target – he reached that mark for Brentford in 24-25 – but last season exposed a concern. He did not score at all between early February and late May, a worrying drought in a team that cannot afford long dry spells from its forwards.

If Mbeumo irons out that inconsistency, he becomes one of United’s most reliable attacking pillars. If not, that slump will hang over him all year.

Omar Marmoush – Manchester City

Omar Marmoush looked built for City when he signed. Last season, the fit suddenly felt awkward.

Despite arriving off the back of prolific spells at Eintracht Frankfurt and armed with obvious qualities – pace, directness, a nose for goal – he finished the league campaign with just three goals and only eight starts under Guardiola.

Now the Guardiola era is over. For some, that is a blow. For Marmoush, it might be a reset button. Enzo Maresca’s arrival offers a fresh tactical canvas and, potentially, a more central role.

The Egypt forward has already made noise in pre-season, scoring twice in a win over Atletico Madrid. At the same time, rumours of a move to Tottenham Hotspur refuse to die down. Stay and fight, or leave to lead elsewhere? Either way, this season will redefine him.

Frank Onyeka – Coventry City

Frank Onyeka returns to the Premier League with scars and lessons.

His first spell in the division with Brentford never quite took off. He was useful, energetic, but rarely trusted as a guaranteed starter by Thomas Frank. Drop down a level, and the picture changed. Under Frank Lampard in the Championship, Onyeka finally looked like the midfield anchor many expected.

Now Coventry hand him a second shot at the top tier. They will need his experience of relegation battles, his bite in midfield and his engine over 90 minutes.

At 28, Onyeka also knows another stage awaits: next summer’s Africa Cup of Nations with Nigeria. Perform here, and he walks into that tournament as a key Super Eagles figure. Falter, and both club and country roles come under threat.

Ousmane Diomande – Nottingham Forest

Ousmane Diomande does not arrive in England quietly. He comes with a reputation and a ceiling that looks sky high.

At Sporting Lisbon he eventually cruised through games, so comfortable that the Portuguese league began to look too small for him. Nottingham Forest, whose defensive solidity has underpinned their Premier League survival, now give him the platform to test himself in a far harsher environment.

The 22-year-old has all the tools of the modern centre-back: pace, strength, composure on the ball and the confidence to defend on the front foot. The Premier League will examine every flaw, every lapse in concentration.

If he passes that test, Forest will not just have found a defender to secure their back line. They may be nurturing Africa’s next great centre-back, with the rest of Europe already watching closely.