BBC SPORT | Football | Africa | Africans abroad | African stars head for England



By Ben Sutherland BBC Sport Online

It may not have been Africa's World Cup - Senegal's heroics aside - but that has not prevented some of the continent's finest talent looking to bigger and better things in their club careers.

And by and large, they are all headed in one direction - England.

Half of the Premiership's 20 clubs have either bought or been strongly linked with a member of one of Africa's five representatives at the World Cup.

Not surprisingly, it is Senegal's heroes who have been highest on most shopping lists - which for most of them will entail a mere hop across the Channel, as all but two play in France.

El Hadji Diouf and Salif Diao are already on their way to Liverpool, runners-up last season, while newly-promoted Birmingham look poised to land the Dakar Lions' captain, Aliou Cisse.

Diouf admits Liverpool deal

Rumours also surround the future of winger Khalilou Fadiga, with Arsenal among the names suggested as his next destination, and Moussa N'diaye, who may be leaving Sedan for West Ham United.

Enquires

But it is not just the Dakar Lions that are heading north.

Manchester City are hoping Cameroon's Marc-Vivian Foe will have a better time with them than he did last time in England, with West Ham, before he went back to French side Lens.

Not to be outdone, the manager of City's rivals Manchester United, Sir Alex Ferguson, is said to have made enquiries into the availability of Tunisia midfielder Slim Ben Achour.

Benni McCarthy
A cut-throat agent scuppered McCarthy's deal
Most surprisingly of all, Bolton Wanderers have confirmed the signing of Nigeria playmaker Jay Jay Okocha, undoubtedly the Super Eagles' best player in Japan, on a free transfer from Paris Saint Germain.

Okocha joins Bolton

Okocha is the most expensive ever Nigerian and was reputed to be demanding astronomical sums in wages.

Outrageous demands

However, not all the high-profile deals are concluding successfully.

Middlesbrough saw their efforts to sign South Africa's Benni McCarthy come to nothing after his agent demanded too much money for the striker.

"If McCarthy's agent had not made such outrageous demands on behalf of the player he would probably be a Middlesbrough player now," blasted Middlesbrough chief executive Rob Moore.

And Chelsea have announced that they have ended their interest in Cameroon's Geremi Njitap after manager Claudio Ranieri was told there was not enough money available - despite the deal being agreed with Real Madrid.

Chelsea end bid for Real duo


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