The last day of the English Premier League season ended today. And with ends comes reflection. Over the course of the season, these are the best 11 African players of the 2021/22 EPL season (organized in a 3-4-3 formation):
Goalkeeper
Benjamin Mendy (Senegal)
Who else could it have been? He’s the only African goalie in the Premier League. And fortunately, his performances were worthy of inclusion in this lineup. He had the fourth most clean sheets and conceded the third least amount of goals. This season wasn’t as good as his debut season, but still solid. The best game I saw of his was the one he had against Brentford.
Defenders
Mohammed Salisu (Ghana)
The Ghanaian defender’s second season was pretty solid. He established himself as the starting center back for Southampton FC, either playing in a back 3 or back 4. I believe his refusal to report to Ghana for AFCON contributed to the significant playing time. His best game I saw him play was the 1-1 home game against Manchester City. He was just everywhere.
Marc Guéhi (Côte d’Ivoire)
This inclusion may be a bit questionable for some, considering he has already made his senior international debut with the England national team. However, he has yet to be tied down to England because he played in friendlies, not competitive matches (i.e. qualifiers or Nations League games). I have to admit, I didn’t really watch him play with Crystal Palace, but I do recall he had a great loan spell with Swansea City last year. Guéhi’s inclusion, considering how integral he was to Crystal Palace’s season, is worth it.
Joel Matip (Cameroon)
Lets continue the trend of selecting African defenders that didn’t feature in this year’s AFCON. Even after the acquisition of Ibrahima Konaté, Matip maintained his place Liverpool’s Premier League starting lineup alongside Virgil van Dijk. He even provided some offensive contribution to the team from the back line (three goals and two assists). A guy who is usually plagued with injuries, this was his best season as a Liverpool player.
Midfielders
Alex Iwobi (Nigeria)
The unsung hero to Everton’s survival in the Premier League. He could easily have been considered a defender or a forward — Iwobi played everywhere this season. From the few games I watched, he had high energy and was always direct in his play. He’s just so smooth with the ball. He may not get the end of season recognition from the League, but I know Everton fans appreciate his contributions.
Yves Bissouma (Mali)
Brighton overachieved this year, and Bissouma was at the center of their performances. Tireless, industrious midfielder. His season looked to be in jeopardy when he was arrested for an alleged sexual assault incident in Brighton (later released on bail, but I believe investigations are ongoing).
Cheikou Kouyaté (Senegal)
I watched a few Crystal Palace games, not many. But looking at the stats and the fact he had 25+ appearances (keeping in mind he was away at the AFCON) Kouyaté had a good season with the Eagles.
Maxwell Cornet (Côte d’Ivoire)
Burnley had an awful season, but Cornet did well in his first season in English football. He was the top scorer for the team with eight goals. And playing for Burnley, that is an incredible achievement! I just think moving from Lyon to Burnley was just an odd move and wasn’t a good fit.
Forwards
Riyad Mahrez (Algeria)
Nothing new can be said about this guy that hasn’t already been said. Just a baller for Manchester City. It looked like he almost cost City the title with that missed penalty against West Ham, but all ended well.
Sadio Mané (Senegal)
Baller. Winner.
Mohamed Salah (Egypt)
The most goal contributions out of any player in the Premier League this season. Golden Boot winner. Didn’t win Player of the Season, which is beyond me.
Honorable Mentions
Thomas Partey (Ghana), Tarik Lamptey (Ghana), Enock Mwepu (Zambia), Ademola Lookman (Nigeria), Emmanuel Dennis (Nigeria), Daniel Amartey (Ghana)
Eddie Mungai 
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