West Ham are uncertain whether their African duo Nayef Aguerd and Mohammed Kudus will be available for their match against Brighton next week. The Seagulls will visit the London Stadium on 2 January, with the Africa Cup of Nations beginning on 13 January in the Ivory Coast.Nonetheless, players selected for their respective national teams will be required to join pre-tournament training camps before the group stage. The Hammers might lose up to four players for the tournament, with Said Benrahma and Maxwel Cornet on the fringes of the Algeria and Ivory Coast teams, but the absence of Morocco’s Aguerd and, in particular, Ghana’s Kudus is what Moyes will be desperate to avoid.West Ham players going AFCON 2023 (past and present):🇲🇦 Aguerd🇬🇭 Kudus, Ayew 🇨🇩 Masuaku, Diangana, Ruddock🇸🇳 Kouyate 🇬🇶 Obiang 🇩🇿 Feghouli pic.twitter.com/I0X6IMcpsZ— Dean Ammi (@AlgerianFooty) December 30, 2023 The Irons’ head coach David Moyes admitted on Friday that he is unsure when his players will leave.”I can’t give you an answer on that. We’ve not had confirmation on any of our African Nations players on their join-up dates, which is very unusual. Mohammed is a very important player so we’re hoping there is a chance he could be available to face Brighton.”West Ham United beat Arsenal on Thursday night, which helped them climb back into the top six of the Premier League. The team has achieved its highest points tally at the midpoint of a Premier League season, which is a remarkable feat.##NAJAVA_MECA_7769424##However, Moyes is worried about the injury setbacks of Kurt Zouma and Lucas Paqueta, which have come at a difficult time. Additionally, he is concerned about the upcoming AFCON, which will mean that some of his players will be away for a while. The Scotsman is aware that his squad depth will be tested in the upcoming weeks.The curse of David Moyes – nothing he does is good enoughThe January transfer window is about to open, but Moyes has hinted that the team’s ability to bring in new players will depend on their ability to sell some of the current squad. Despite spending a lot of money in the previous transfer windows, the coach says the club must be financially prudent while making new signings.”We’re always looking to try and bring into the squad and get better, but we might be looking to lose one or two players before we bring anyone in. It will depend on the African Nations and injuries, which we have done very well on this season.”PREMIER LEAGUE – MATCHDAY 20Saturday15:30: (6.00) Luton (4.10) Chelsea (1.55)18:00: (1.40) Aston Villa (5.00) Burnley (9.00)18:00: (2.25) Crystal Palace (3.45) Brentford (3.45)18:00: (1.10) Man.City (13.0) Sheffield Utd (25.0)18:00: (2.65) Wolverhampton (3.35) Everton (2.85)20:30: (3.35) Nott.Forest (3.45) Man.Utd. (2.15)Sunday17:00: (1.80) Tottenham (3.80) Bournemouth (4.30)17:00: (6.25) Fulham (4.10) Arsenal (1.60)Monday23:00: (1.50) Liverpool (4.50) Newcastle (7.25)Tuesday22:30: (2.50) West Ham (3.45) Brighton (2.75)***odds are subject to change***
