There are 46 African players plying their trade in the English
Premier League (EPL) this season - that's an increase of one from last season.
This is around 9% of the total of 500 players.
Every club in the EPL has an African player.
Senegal has eight players in the league, followed by Ivory
Coast with six, Nigeria with five, Algeria four while Ghana has three.
Equatorial Guinea and Libya have their first Premier League
players this season in the form of Middlesbrough defender Emilio Nsue and
Manchester United's Sadik El Fitouri, respectively.
Ivory Coast Defender Eric Bailly is one of the highest
profile African players to join the Premier League this season. His £30m ($40m)
transfer fee ranks him among the most expensive defenders.
Premier League champions Leicester City and Sunderland have
the highest African representation with five players each. Everton, Watford and
West Ham United follow closely with four players each.
Sunderland has a rich African history. It has been home to
some of Africa's greatest footballers such as Cameroon's Patrick Mboma, Ghana's
Asamoah Gyan and John Mensah, Zimbabwe's Benjani Mwaruwari and Morocco Talal El
Karkouri.
Last year Crystal Palace had the highest number of African
players, with five in total but it has since gone down to three.
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