Liverpool's African Stars: Who Fills Salah's Void?
Six years ago Liverpool strode into a new Premier League season as champions, carried on the shoulders of Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane. Two African superstars, one long-awaited title, and a standard that felt almost impossible to match.
Mane left in 2022. Now the “Egyptian King” has abdicated too, swapping Anfield for Trabzonspor and closing a chapter that redefined what an African forward could be in England.
The numbers are cold but staggering: 308 Premier League games for Liverpool, 191 goals, 93 assists. At 34, Salah walked away as the fourth-highest scorer in the competition’s history. A phenomenon, gone.
So who dares step into that space? Who becomes Africa’s new face in the self‑proclaimed best league in the world?
Semenyo: From Rejection To £65m Believer
The clearest candidate is also the least straightforward story.
Antoine Semenyo’s rise has come the hard way. As a teenager, Arsenal, Tottenham and Crystal Palace all looked at him and passed. His Premier League debut did not arrive until February 2023. No fast track, no golden pathway. Just grind.
Three years on, Manchester City decided his relentless running, raw power and growing composure in front of goal were worth £65m.
The Ghana forward, a devout Christian, hit 17 league goals last season – his best return yet. It still left him trailing Erling Haaland and Brentford’s Igor Thiago, but the trajectory is obvious. Every year, he looks sharper, more ruthless, more certain of himself.
If that curve keeps climbing, City and Ghana may not just have a star. They might have the man who starts to chase Salah’s numbers, not just his aura.
Marmoush: The Only True Heir To The Throne?
If there is to be another “Egyptian King”, Omar Marmoush is the only realistic claimant.
There’s a problem, though. This Pharaoh has spent most of his Premier League time standing in the shadow of a Viking.
Since joining Manchester City from Frankfurt, the 27-year-old has started just 22 league games in a season and a half, scoring only three times in the 2025-26 campaign. When you share a dressing room with Haaland, you do not just fight defenders. You fight for minutes.
Pre-season has offered a flicker of something different. Marmoush struck twice against Atletico Madrid in his first outing under new City head coach Enzo Maresca, a timely reminder of his movement and finishing.
Yet his real opportunity may lie away from the Etihad. Tottenham are in talks to sign him, and a move could finally give Egypt’s other forward the stage he has never quite owned in Manchester.
Mbeumo And Sarr: Power On The Flanks
Bryan Mbeumo no longer needs an introduction. The Cameroonian has already done the hard work of proving he belongs among the Premier League’s elite forwards.
In his final season at Brentford, he delivered 27 combined goals and assists in the league. That form earned him a £65m move to Manchester United, where his first campaign brought a more modest 14 goal involvements.
The story changed after the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations. Back from Afcon, back fit, and suddenly sharper, Mbeumo helped United rediscover some of their old swagger under Michael Carrick. With no World Cup this summer, he has rested, reset and reloaded. The expectation is simple: start fast.
Ismaila Sarr might soon be joining him at Old Trafford. The logic is obvious.
The Senegal forward arrives at this season’s doorstep on a high, having matched Roger Milla’s African record of four goals at a single World Cup. For Crystal Palace, he produced the best campaign of his club career, scoring 21 times in all competitions and spearheading their Uefa Conference League triumph.
Sarr looks like a player ready to step into the very top tier. Whether that happens in south London or in front of the Stretford End could define the next phase of his career.
Kudus And Ndiaye: Talent, Tricks And A Test Of Consistency
While Sarr lit up the World Cup, Mohammed Kudus watched from the sidelines.
A long-term hamstring injury kept the Ghana playmaker out of the tournament, a brutal blow for a 26-year-old who thrives on big stages. Now he targets something more mundane but just as crucial: staying fit and becoming a guaranteed starter in Roberto De Zerbi’s Tottenham rebuild.
Nobody doubts Kudus’ flair. His close control, quick feet and ability to conjure something out of nothing are proven. The question is whether he can do it every week, not just in bursts that leave highlight reels glowing and coaches frustrated.
If Kudus is about invention, Iliman Ndiaye is about pure electricity.
At Everton, the Senegal international has become one of the league’s most thrilling dribblers. Only Jeremy Doku completed more dribbles in the Premier League last season, a statistic that underlines how often Ndiaye goes at his man and beats him.
That “wow factor” has not gone unnoticed. Saudi giants Al-Hilal have shown interest, while Manchester United and Arsenal have both been linked. Toffees supporters call him “Skilliman” for a reason.
The question hangs over him like a challenge: would a move to a Champions League club finally turn his dazzling footwork into medals and moments that last?
Wissa, Fredrick And The Defensive Wildcard
Yoane Wissa’s last campaign at Newcastle United never really started. A knee injury robbed him of the first half of the season and a place at Afcon.
He still found a way to remind people of his quality, scoring three times for DR Congo at the World Cup. Now, fully fit, he looks set to become a central figure in Newcastle’s attempt to rebuild and reassert themselves near the top of the table.
Then comes a very different type of candidate.
Could the new African king of the Premier League actually be a defender?
Brentford think they may have something special in Benjamin Fredrick. The 21-year-old has signed a four-year deal and moved up into the first-team squad after impressing on loan in Belgium.
He is a rarity: a player brought straight from Nigeria into a Premier League club. He was on course to start at centre-back for the Super Eagles at Afcon before a knee injury on the eve of the tournament cut him down.
Bees boss Keith Andrews sees “a lot of potential” in him. If that potential hardens into dominance, the story of African stardom in England may not be all about goals.
New Faces, New Wings
Salah arrived in England in 2014 as a relatively unknown winger from Basel, a Chelsea signing that barely stirred the wider public.
Something similar could be said now of Zadok Yohanna. Brighton paid £21.5m for the Nigerian wideman in June, a significant fee for a player still largely unfamiliar to most Premier League viewers.
The parallels are striking. Like Salah, Yohanna is a left-footer who prefers to cut in from the right, using pace and angles to unsettle full-backs. Brighton have built a reputation on spotting such profiles early. They will believe they have done it again.
On the opposite flank, Newcastle have invested heavily in Bazoumana Traore. The £43m Ivorian has already drawn praise for his pre-season displays, hinting at a direct, aggressive style that could quickly make him a crowd favourite on Tyneside.
Further down the ladder, Coventry City have pushed their own boundaries to land Caleb Yirenkyi. The Championship club spent a record £23m to sign the 20-year-old midfielder after he caught the eye for Ghana at the World Cup, most notably with a late winner against Panama.
He may be a step away from the Premier League for now, but his trajectory suggests that gap might not last long.
Bouaddi, Osimhen And The Next Big Swing
One more name is already circling the elite.
Ayyoub Bouaddi, the 18-year-old Moroccan who played with remarkable poise against Brazil in the World Cup opener, is in Manchester City’s sights. The 10-time league winners are in negotiations with Lille over a central midfielder who carries himself with a calm authority rare for his age.
If that deal goes through, City would add yet another African gem to a squad already stacked with talent. Bouaddi would not be expected to replace Salah, of course. He would be trying to shape the league from deeper, dictating games rather than finishing them.
And still, one question refuses to go away.
Will Victor Osimhen finally arrive?
The Nigerian striker has been linked with England for what feels like an eternity. At 27, he has the status, the charisma and, crucially, the numbers: 29 goals in all competitions last season.
Osimhen is adored in Nigeria. He plays with a ferocious intensity, a centre-forward who seems to treat every aerial duel as a personal argument. If he were to swap Galatasaray for the Premier League, the emotional and symbolic weight for African fans would be immense.
Salah’s move to Turkey has left a void. Not just at Anfield, but in the wider story of African excellence in English football. The throne is empty. The stage lights are still on.
Who steps into them now?
