The Magpies look well placed to deal with a few departures but the tournament will still stretch Benitez’s squad.
When the African Cup of Nations rears its head and threatens to take a number of your first-team stars approximately 4,000 miles south, it helps when you’ve got the strongest squad in the entire division to fall back on.
Nonetheless, it’s not difficult to imagine that Rafael Benitez will be rather peeved at the prospect of being without resurgent midfielder Mo Diame (below), wildcard winger Christian Atsu as well as useful squad members Chancel Mbemba and Achraf Lazaar for up to five Championship fixtures, including a potentially season-defining top of the table clash away at Brighton on January 28th.
And it doesn’t help knowing that, during the 2015 edition of the continental tournament, Newcastle picked up just four points from a potential nine, including a home defeat to Southampton and a draw with Hull, in the absence Medhi Abied, Cheick Tiote and Papiss Cisse (below) who, at the time of his departure, was responsible for 44 per cent of The Magpies league goals.
In the end, a season that had hinted at signs of promise following a run of five straight league wins early in the campaign fell apart thereafter, with only Jonas Gutierrez’s final day scorcher against West Ham enough to keep The Magpies in the top flight.
Now, there’s little suggestion of a similar collapse with Benitez’s 2016 vintage cruising at the top but AFCON remains a very unwelcome distraction at one of the most essential periods of the season.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
