Headline: Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah Leaves a Legacy as African Stars Eye Premier League Spotlight
Six years ago, Liverpool entered a new Premier League season as the reigning champions, driven by the exceptional performances of African stars Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane, who helped secure the club’s first title in three decades. With Mane departing Anfield in 2022, Salah has now also left the club, recently making a transition to Trabzonspor in Turkey.
Salah’s record in the Premier League has been remarkable, tallying 191 goals and 93 assists across 308 appearances. He leaves Merseyside as the fourth-highest scorer in the history of the competition—an impressive feat that sets a high bar for those who aim to become the next star from the continent in the world’s biggest league.
BBC Sport Africa examines potential successors to Salah, with several players emerging as contenders. Leading the charge is Ghana’s Antoine Semenyo, whose ascent has been notable given the challenges he faced early in his career. After being rejected by prestigious clubs like Arsenal and Tottenham as a teenager, he debuted in the Premier League only in February 2023. His recent move to Manchester City comes after a standout season where he scored 17 goals, raising expectations among fans that he could rival Salah’s achievements.
Another player looking to make his mark is Egypt’s Omar Marmoush. Although he has largely played in the shadows of star forward Erling Haaland at Manchester City, Marmoush’s recent double against Atletico Madrid in pre-season offers a glimpse of his potential, and Tottenham is currently in discussions to procure his services.
Cameroonian striker Bryan Mbeumo has also made a significant impact, contributing to Manchester United with 27 goal involvements during his last season with Brentford before his £65 million transfer. Despite an inconsistent start at Old Trafford, he showed promise after the Africa Cup of Nations, as United regained their form under manager Michael Carrick.
Meanwhile, Senegal’s Ismaila Sarr is generating buzz, having equalled Roger Milla’s World Cup record for goals. His stellar performance, combining with his previous successes with Crystal Palace, positions him as another exciting name to watch.
In the wider picture, several other talents are keen to leave their mark. Iliman Ndiaye, after a noteworthy World Cup, is attracting interest from various Champions League clubs. Nations like Ghana and DR Congo are also represented with players like Mohammed Kudus, whose injury comeback will be pivotal for Tottenham.
The league’s attractiveness continues to draw in new talents, including Nigeria’s Benjamin Fredrick, who after a strong loan spell in Belgium, signed with Brentford’s first team. His coach sees great potential in him as well.
As the new season unfolds, many wonder if one of these emerging stars could step into the considerable void left by Salah or if new signings like Caleb Yirenkyi, Bazoumana Traore, and Ayyoub Bouaddi will make their mark soon. The Premier League remains a stage where both established and fresh talent from Africa can shine, continuing the legacy started by Salah.
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.
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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.
A tough act to follow? You bet.
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.
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Three years later, Manchester City decided his energy, power and eye for goal were worth £65m.
A player who takes his Christian faith seriously, City and Ghana fans will be praying 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.
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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.
But Marmoush bagged a double against Atletico Madrid in his first pre-season outing and now has a new coach to impress in Enzo Maresca.
However, his chance to shine could come away from the Etihad Stadium – with Tottenham in talks to sign him.
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Now firmly established as one of the Premier League’s best forwards, the Cameroonian racked up a combined 27 goal involvements in his final season for Brentford before moving to Manchester United for £65m.
Mbeumo, 27, only managed 14 in his first season at Old Trafford, but did finish the campaign 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?
Sarr has been linked with a move to join Mbeumo at Old Trafford and it’s not hard to see why.
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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, bagging a career-high 21 goals in all competitions as he fired the Eagles to glory in the Uefa Conference League.
Outsiders looking to challenge
Iliman Ndiaye, Benjamin Fredrick, Yoane Wissa and Mohammed Kudus will all be hoping to make a greater impact on the Premier League this season [Getty Images/EPA]
While Sarr was thriving at the World Cup, Mohammed Kudus was likely watching on with envy.
A long-term hamstring issue denied him a place in the Ghana squad and the 26-year-old will hope his injury problems are finally behind him as he looks to secure a starting place in Roberto de Zerbi’s Tottenham rebuild.
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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?
A knee injury saw Yoane Wissa miss the first half of last season as well as Afcon.
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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 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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A new arrival…?
Caleb Yirenkyi, Bazoumana Traore and Zadok Yohanna are some of the exciting new signings hoping for successful debut Premier League campaigns with Coventry, Newcastle and Brighton respectively [Getty Images]
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.
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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 locked 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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