F

ifteen of England's Barclay's Premier League clubs this week bade farewell to players heading for Angola and the African Cup of Nations. That they did so served to highlight one of the more significant changes to have taken place in the league over the last decade.

At the start of the "Noughties", there were just 16 Africans playing in the Premier League and in 2002 only eight took part in their continental tournament.

As we head into 2010 there are more than 40 Africans, representing 15 countries, in the BPL. Of these, 31 players are involved in the 2010 tournament in Angola which runs from Jan. 10 to 31.

The timing of the biennial tournament continues to provoke debate but it is unlikely to be moved to a slot that does not clash with European league seasons any time soon.

Executives at clubs in those leagues have added risk assessment skills to their other attributes when it comes to signing players.

That "risk" refers to the potentially-harmful impact this twice-yearly continental tournament might have on their league tables.

Much has been made of Chelsea's "absent" quartet of Michael Essien, Didier Drogba, John Mikel Obi and Salomon Kalou. Chelsea's closest pursuers in the BPL title race, Manchester United, have no African players on duty in Angola.

Carlo Ancelotti's side will be grateful they do not have to play United (or any of their immediate rivals for that matter) during January.

However they will be aware of the Feb. 7 clash with Arsenal becoming problematic should Drogba come back jaded or injured after his efforts for the Ivory Coast. Two years ago, he played just 30 minutes of football for Chelsea in the two months surrounding the African Nations.

Chelsea, have a depth to their squad that few of their rivals can match - not to mention the financial clout to buy their way out of trouble during January's Transfer Window.

Portsmouth, by contrast, look unlikely to be allowed to wheel and deal in January thanks to complications arising from their straightened financial circumstances. That only serves to highlight the massive impact Angola 2010 has had on manager Avram Grant's team selection.

The BPL's bottom club is most affected by the African exodus. Absentees Kevin-Prince Boateng, Aruna Dindane, Nadir Belhadj and Hassan Yebda have supplied more than half of Portsmouth's league goals this season. They are also missing Nwankwo Kanu and John Utaka.

When a club is bottom of the table and it loses six players to a tournament it knew was going to happen, it raises questions about the wisdom of relying on African talent."Having six players leave is too much, but it's a fact," admitted Grant, who has not been at the club long enough to deserve any blame for Pompey's player acquisition strategy.

Nonetheless, Portsmouth plight has done nothing to deter clubs from buying African players. Three quarters of Premier League clubs sent scouts to watch the 2008 African Nations.

Of the five clubs who have no representatives at this year's tournament, Manchester United have just signed 22-year-old Senegalese striker Mame Biram Diouf, a prolific scorer in the Norwegian league. Canny as ever, Sir Alex Ferguson has signed a player whose nation did not qualify for Angola 2010.

The young Senegalese will probably not go into action until becoming a substitute in the Carling Cup semifinal against Manchester City. It is unlikely Diouf will play any key part in helping United overhaul a "depleted" Chelsea in the New Year.

However, it was notable that Monday's swansong from Drogba, Mikel and Kalou against Fulham was witnessed by Jose Mourinho, Chelsea's former manager.

While at Stamford Bridge, the Portuguese railed against the timing of the African Nations Cup and vowed not to buy African again.

Funnily enough, he moved to Inter Milan and then bought Ghanaian Sulley Muntari to bolster his midfield. Jose tends to get what he wants. Muntari was a surprise exclusion from Ghana's Angola 2010 squad on disciplinary grounds.

One of Mourinho's former players, Didier Drogba, had his say on the matter recently when he suggested that the African tournament switch to a quadrennial formula and occur in the same year as the European Championships.

He, however, insisted the tournament has to happen in January. Unless South Africa, with its Southern Hemisphere climate, were somehow to be allowed to host the tournament each time, it is simply too hot and wet to stage it elsewhere in June or July.

Plus, Africa's football leaders have insisted there will be no change in their scheduling just to placate European clubs. Perhaps the ideal solution lies in a winter break. Angola 2010 was brought forward by 10 days to fall within the break period most major European leagues are currently taking, with the exception of England.

The five BPL clubs who have no reliance on Africans - United, Birmingham, Blackburn, Liverpool and West Ham - will hope to prosper throughout January.