5 new African stars in the Premier League

The African influence in the Premier League is growing ever since its inception and there’s a new generation that’s making their mark this season.

After eight rounds of fixtures, here’s a look at some of the new names making their mark in England’s top flight. See them play live on Showmax Pro, courtesy of SuperSport.

Lyle Foster - Burnley

It’s been a long time since a South African got some regular game time in the Premier League and with three goals and two assists already, Lyle Foster has cemented his place in the Burnley starting eleven.

Foster joined the Clarets in January this year, but didn’t make too much of an impact in their push for promotion from the Championship with only one goal in 11 appearances.

Vincent Kompany has clearly identified Foster as an important player in Burnley’s attempt to stay up this season and with his strength and calm finishing, it looks like the young forward is up for the challenge.

Mohammed Kudus – West Ham

Much was expected of the Ghanaian after his move from Ajax and after grabbing a late equaliser against Newcastle, Mohammed Kudus is set to kickstart his season with West Ham.

Kudus got on many people’s radars with four goals in the UEFA Champions League last season and a brace against South Korea in the FIFA World Cup. The Hammers won the race for his signature, which made him the third Ghanaian player the club have had after John Paintsil and Andre Ayew.

His introduction to the Premier League has only been off the bench so far, but that will surely change soon if he keeps impressing as a substitute.

Nicolas Jackson – Chelsea

Chelsea has been one big revolving door for forwards in the last few seasons and after a successful spell at Villarreal, Nicolas Jackson has thrown his hat in the ring to be the answer for the Blues’ attacking conundrum.

The Senegalese forward scored 12 goals in LaLiga last season that earned him a move to the Premier League as a part of Mauricio Pochettino’s new project at Stamford Bridge.

After a slow start for Chelsea and Jackson, the club as well as the player are starting to find their groove this season. The club have put back-to-back wins together for the first time with Jackson getting on the scoresheet in their last game against Burnley.

Simon Adingra – Brighton

It’s an exciting time at Brighton with many players thriving under Roberto de Zerbi and in Simon Adingra, the Seagulls have yet another exciting prospect in their squad.

The Ivorian winger marked his Premier League debut with a goal against Luton and hasn’t looked back. His second goal of the campaign came against Liverpool which proves he’s ready to make an impact against the big Premier League clubs as well.

With De Zerbi’s frequent rotation, Adingra should be given many opportunities to shine domestically as well as in the Europa League this season.

Ola Aina – Nottingham Forest

There is plenty of African representation in the Nottingham Forest squad these days with Ola Aina the latest to join after signing from Torino.

Aina represented England at youth level before committing to Nigeria at international level. He now boasts a wealth of experience for his country after playing in two AFCON tournaments.

As a fullback with some attacking flair, you can expect Aina to make an impact in defence as well as in attack.

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