Thomas Partey out as Ghana announce 27-man AFCON squad

The four-time champions of Africa have announced their final 27-man squad for the upcoming tournament in the Ivory Coast.

The 27-man Ghana squad for the Africa Cup of Nations is out, with two big names not included.

The biggest dropout is Thomas Partey. The 30-year-old midfielder has missed out because of a hamstring injury. He hasn’t played football for Arsenal since injuring his hamstring in October. He even spent time out at the start of the season due to a groin problem.

Ghana manager Chris Hughton has also dropped Tariq Lamptey from his 27-man team. Lamptey, who plays as a full-back, has been out injured since November. This has restricted him to just eight appearances for his club, Brighton, this season.

Mohammed Kudus is in the squad, though, after an electrifying start to his West Ham career. The winger has scored six times and dished out an assist in 16 Premier League games following a €43 million summer transfer from Ajax.

AFCON 2023, which will be held in the Ivory Coast, will begin on January 13 and end on February 11.

Ghana are in Group B alongside Egypt, Cape Verde, and Mozambique. They will first play Cape Verde on January 14.

The Black Stars will go into AFCON, desperate to avoid a repeat of their 2021 group-stage exit. They haven’t won the tournament since 1982 in Libya.

Below is the complete list of Ghana’s AFCON squad.

🚨Our #BlackStars for the AFCON 👊🏾

🤵‍♂️ Head Coach Chris Hughton has selected 27 players for the upcoming TotalEnergies Africa Cup of Nations in Côte d'Ivoire 🇬🇭⚽️ #TotalEnergiesAFCON2023 pic.twitter.com/Fr1RTs4UPw

— 🇬🇭 Black Stars (@GhanaBlackstars) January 1, 2024