Who replaces Salah as Africa’s Premier League king?

Six years ago Liverpool were heading into the new Premier League season as defending champions after African superstars Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane had fired the Reds to a first title in three decades.

Mane’s time at Anfield ended in 2022 and now the reign of Egyptian King Salah has also drawn to a close following his move to Trabzonspor in Turkey.

Salah’s stats during his nine Premier League seasons with Liverpool are astonishing: 308 games, 191 goals and 93 assists.

The 34-year-old departed Merseyside as the fourth-highest scorer in the competition’s history.

BBC Sport Africa looks at some of those vying to take Salah’s place as the continent’s star name in the biggest league in the world.

The leading candidate, Semenyo’s rise to the top has been remarkable – not least because he has certainly done it the hard way.

The Ghana forward was rejected by Arsenal, Tottenham and Crystal Palace as a teenager and did not make his Premier League debut until February 2023.

Three years later, Manchester City decided his energy, power and eye for goal made him worth £65m.

A player who takes his Christian faith seriously, City and Ghana fans will hope Semenyo’s move to a Premier League giant will see him start to rival Salah’s numbers.

The 26-year-old enjoyed his best league season in terms of goals last time out, finding the net 17 times, even if that tally left him a fair way behind team-mate Erling Haaland and Brentford‘s Igor Thiago.

If he can continue his seemingly inexorable improvement, this season could see Semenyo become one of football’s biggest names.
(Manchester City)

If there truly is to be a new ‘Egyptian King’, Marmoush is the only possible heir.

The problem is this Pharaoh has spent most of his time playing second fiddle to top viking Haaland.

The 27-year-old has made 22 Premier League starts in the season and a half since his move from Frankfurt and found the net only three times in the league in 2025-26.

Marmoush scored a double against Atletico Madrid in his first pre-season outing, taking a chance to impress new Manchester City head coach Enzo Maresca.

However, his chance to shine could come away from Etihad Stadium – with Tottenham in talks to sign him.

Now firmly established as one of the Premier League’s best forwards, the Cameroonian racked up a combined 27 goal involvements in his final league season for Brentford before moving to Manchester United for £65m.

Mbeumo, 27, only managed 14 goal involvements in his first Premier League campaign at Old Trafford, but he finished strongly after returning from the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) as United regained some of their old swagger under Michael Carrick.

Having missed out on the World Cup, will a summer off allow him to hit the ground running?
(Crystal Palace)

Sarr has been linked with a move to join Mbeumo at Old Trafford and it’s not hard to see why.

The Senegal forward will be coming into the new season on a high, having equalled African legend Roger Milla’s record tally of four goals at a single World Cup.

The 28-year-old also enjoyed a stellar campaign with Palace last season, scoring a career-high 21 goals in all competitions as he fired the Eagles to glory in the Uefa Conference League.

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While Sarr was thriving at the World Cup, Mohammed Kudus was probably watching on with envy.

A long-term hamstring issue denied him a place in the Ghana squad and the 26-year-old will hope injury problems are finally behind him as he looks to secure a starting place in Roberto de Zerbi’s Tottenham rebuild.

Kudus undoubtedly has the talent, but showing his trickery and invention on a consistent basis has been the issue.

Everton‘s Iliman Ndiaye is perhaps the candidate with the real wow factor. Only City’s Jeremy Doku completed more dribbles in the Premier League last season.

After a second World Cup campaign, Saudi side Al-Hilal have shown interest, while Manchester United and Arsenal have also been linked.

Would a move to a Champions League team give the man Toffees fans call Skilliman the platform he needs to show his magical twinkling feet can turn tricks into silverware?

At Newcastle United, a knee injury resulted in Yoane Wissa missing the first half of last season as well as Afcon.

But he scored three goals for DR Congo at the World Cup and will surely be a key figure for Newcastle as they look to rebuild.

And could the new king be a defender?

Benjamin Fredrick has just signed a four-year deal and been promoted to Brentford’s first-team squad.

That rarest of things – a player signed by a Premier League side direct from Nigeria – he was enjoying a successful loan in Belgium last season and was due to be one of the Super Eagles’ starting centre-backs at Afcon until suffering a knee injury on the eve of the tournament.

Bees boss Keith Andrews sees “a lot of potential” in the 21-year-old.

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Of course, when Salah first arrived in the Premier League, signing for Chelsea from Basel in 2014, very few people knew who he was.

The same could now be said for fellow wideman Zadok Yohanna, who cost Brighton £21.5m in June.

Like Salah, the pacy Nigerian is a left-footer who plays off the right.

Newcastle’s £43m signing Bazoumana Traore operates on the opposite flank, and the Ivorian has already been winning praise for his pre-season performances.

Coventry City’s new midfielder Caleb Yirenkyi made his mark in the collective consciousness with some high-class performances for Ghana at the World Cup, scoring the late winner against Panama.

The Sky Blues paid a club record £23m for the 20-year-old.

Or could Salah’s replacement still be waiting in the wings?

Another World Cup star, Morocco‘s Ayyoub Bouaddi, looks to be on his way to Manchester City, with the 10-time league winners in negotiations with Lille for the central midfielder who oozed a classy confidence in the Atlas Lions‘ opener against Brazil despite only being 18.

Or will Victor Osimhen finally land in England, having been constantly linked with a move over the years?

The 27-year-old striker, beloved in Nigeria, already has the profile and hit 29 goals in all competitions last year.

With Salah having moved to Turkey, Osimhen swapping Galatasaray for the Premier League would go some way to filling the hole for African fans.

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