Fulham boss Marco Silva has revealed that the loss of Super Eagles stars Alex Iwobi, Samuel Chukwueze, and Calvin Bassey is a tough blow for the club, but he maintains that he has no regrets, Soccernet.ng reports.
With the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations already here, many clubs around Europe are losing some of their best players.
However, the Premier League is the worst hit. While other leagues will be on a break during the AFCON period, the Premier League will still be in session.
Fulham is one of the most affected clubs, as three regulars — Iwobi, Chukwueze, and Bassey — have left for international duty.
This is expected to hit them badly, as the three players have contributed to 11 of their 23 Premier League goals this season. Bassey is also a stalwart at the back for them.
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However, Fulham coach Silva is positive that the team will still do well without their African stars.
Moving forward, however, he suggests they need to be careful with how they sign African players so as to maintain better balance in the squad during times like this.
“We are very very pleased to have these players with us,” Silva said, per Jack Kelly, ahead of their League Cup quarter-final with Newcastle on Wednesday.
“We believed in Calvin. I took Iwobi from Arsenal to Everton, then to Fulham. We have to be careful, if we sign more (African) players. We have to have the right balance.
“With injured players and AFCON, it's a big one for us. If you want to create an ambitious mentality, this game has to be big. In some positions we are short, to be able to rotate. It's been very tough for us.”
How Many Games Will Fulham's Super Eagles Stars Miss?
Fulham's Super Eagles stars are guaranteed to miss the rest of the year due to their participation in the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations with Nigeria.
But after that, their return to action will depend on how well Nigeria perform in the competition.
The AFCON is expected to last until mid-January. So if the Super Eagles reach the final or semifinal of the competition, Fulham will be without their African stars till late January.
Hence, Alex Iwobi, Samuel Chukwueze, and Calvin Bassey will surely miss the games against Newcastle United, Nottingham Forest, West Ham, and Crystal Palace.
If the Super Eagles reach the knockout rounds, the players would miss more games.
