The 2015 African Cup of Nations qualifying has begun and as usual the tournament will commence during the Premier League season, forcing some teams to have a reshuffle.

Depending on qualification and how their respective clubs perform West Ham will surely have a few players missing from late January to early February. The tournament is to be hosted in Morocco for the second time and that’s a relatively short distance to travel for Premier League players so at least there should be no jet-lag causing extra delays in relation to returning to their respective clubs. But just how badly effected will the Hammers be come early next year?

First of all, on paper the loss of Cheikhou Kouyate seems to be the most damning. He was selected in the Senegal squad for the first time in February 2012 and has since received a further 10 caps. The powerful ex-Anderlecht midfielder was a part of Senegal’s most recent squad, and as he is now plying his trade in the Premier League he is likely to be sticking around for some time. It’s therefore a safe bet that Kouyate will be in the squad and The Lions of Teranga will certainly fancy their chances of making the finals after picking up a 2-0 victory in their opening qualifier.

Fellow-countryman Diafra Sakho has not been selected since his first two appearances in friendlies against Burkina Faso and Kosovo in May 2014, where he scored his first goal for Senegal. He may seem out of contention but has started brightly for West Ham and scored his first goal for the club in the Capital One Cup loss to Sheffield United. He won’t do his chances of making the squad any harm if he continues to score for The Hammers.

The newest signing at West Ham is Alex Song, and the FC Barcelona loanee has 49 appearances for Cameroon under his belt. The central midfielder hasn’t played since the 2014 World Cup after being sent off versus Croatia and he was given three-match international ban. He’ll be back available for selection again soon and he will undoubtedly be selected, as a player of his quality is always needed. Like Senegal, Cameroon recorded a 2-0 victory in their opening qualifier and they will be confident of securing a spot at the finals with or without Song. Of course without having seen Song make a senior appearance for West Ham, we can hardly predict how much of a loss he will be but if we were to lose both Kouyate and Song it wouldn’t be easy.

Ivorian defender Guy Demel retired from international football, so barring any injuries he won’t be missing for West Ham come the winter months.

So there we have it – West Ham will be without Kouyate for sure. He will undoubtedly be a massive loss based on his influence upon the team in his opening few matches for the club. Fellow countryman Diafra Sakho may also warrant a call-up if his performances continue and if he can bag a good amount of goals. It’s suspected that Andy Carroll will be back by then and with Valencia, Zarate and Carlton Cole all unaffected by the African Cup of Nations, Sakho shouldn’t be a big loss. Song will be available for selection with Cameroon after his country play Ivory Coast and he will surely be unavailable for West Ham should Cameroon qualify as expected. It could turn out to be tough for The Hammers if they lose both Kouyate and Song as only Mark Noble and Diego Poyet are naturals in that role, meaning that they are one injury away from a ‘bodged’ centre midfielder.

Should any Hammers be called upon for the African Cup of Nations they will be absent for the home matches versus Hull City and Manchester United as well as the away trip to Anfield to face Liverpool.

The 2015 African Cup of Nations Finals will commence on the 17th of January and the final will be played on the 8th of February. 

[ad_pod id=’fr2rumours’ align=’center’]