Ghana and Leeds United legend Anthony Yeboah has predicted a tough season for African players in the English Premier League saying they will have to work above their weights to survive the season.
Yeboah, one of Africa’s great strikers to have survived at Leeds United says the influx of more players in the EPL and the splash of cash to attract the best will mean the Africans in the Premiership must work extra hard to come to the top.
The African contingent in the new Premier League season will be stronger than ever with the addition of Egypt's Mohammed Salah and Ghana's Christian Atsu at Newcastle, added to a cast that already included Liverpool's Senegal forward Sadio Mane and the Nigeria duo of Kelechi Iheanacho at Leicester City and Alex Iwobi, who is on the books of Arsenal.
"I am glad that now Africans are gaining more and more acceptance in the Premier League," Yeboah said. "You can see that after what the likes of Essien, Drogba, Kanu and to an extent myself did in the league, it enhanced the reputation of African players and has opened up a lot more opportunities for players from the continent and I am particularly happy about that. In a way it is up to the present generation to keep that going,” he told KweseESPN.
"The increasing quality of the Premier League now and its growing financial power means that the field is a lot more competitive than it has ever been. The Premier League is spending a lot more money on the best players in the world, which means the African players there would have their work even more cut out now."
Yeboah enjoyed a successful time at Leeds United between 1995 to 1997, scoring 33 goals in 60 games, including two stunning volleys against Wimbledon and Liverpool that are considered two of the greatest in the league's history.