Bayer Leverkusen manager Xabi Alonso has complained about the timing of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations.
Die Werkself are set to be without five key players during the competition which will start in Cote d’Ivoire in January 2024.
Forward Victor Boniface is expected to be part of Nigeria’s squad to the competition. Former Southampton midfielder Nathan Tella could also be part of the party.
Tella has been handed a maiden invitation to the Super Eagles for the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers against Lesotho and Zimbabwe.
Moroccan forward Amine Adli, Burkina Faso centre-back Edmond Tapsoba, and Ivorian defender Odilon Kossounou are the other players Leverkusen could miss during the AFCON finals.
Alonso admitted that his side must deal with the situation.
“It is a concern for January and February, perhaps not having five players. It is a reality. We have to accept that,” Alonso told Transfermarkt.
