The best Gabonese players in Premier League history

Some of Africa’s lesser known nations have been producing world-class players for years and yet to reap the rewards from it. A prime example of these is Gabon where the West African nation has been producing some excellent stars without their national side gaining much success internationally. It’s why their leading names have consistently starred in top European leagues like the Premier League. Over the past three decades, 5 Gabonese players have appeared in the English top flight with varying degrees of success in the league. But what sort of impact did they have overall? Let’s find out…

 

Daniel Cousin (Hull City)

After successful stints in France and Scotland, veteran striker Daniel Cousin joined Hull in a bid to strengthen their frontline in time for their first ever top-flight campaign. He couldn’t have hoped for a better start as he nodded in his first goal against Arsenal in a shock 2-1 victory for The Tigers in North London. Cousin’s ability to show up in big games proved huge as he also netted in matches against both Manchester City and Manchester United. With Hull finishing in the top half of the table, Cousin felt at home in the Premier League. However, injuries and a lack of form affected his chances of success in Humberside. After a poor 2009/10 campaign, Cousin moved to Greek side Larissa on loan in 2010 before making the move permanent at the start of the 2010/11 season. A quiet end to life for the first ever Gabonese player in the Premier League.

 

Didier Ndong (Sunderland)

When Didier Ndong joined Sunderland from Lorient in 2016, he joined a side preparing for a fierce relegation battle. Capable of helping both defensively and offensively, Ndong’s role was to help The Black Cats grind out the results whenever possible. He made a relative impact as his grit and determination showed throughout the season despite Sunderland getting relegated at the end of the 2016/17 season. He briefly returned to the top-flight in 2018 with a loan move to Watford but was never used by The Hornets. Off-field issues saw Ndong depart Sunderland immediately after returning to Wearside and he left the club on a free transfer before moving back to France with Guingamp.

 

Bruno Ecuele-Manga (Cardiff City)

A tenacious and tough defender, Bruno Ecuele-Manga joined a Cardiff side rebuilding and aiming to return to the Premier League in 2014 – moving from French side Lorient. When The Bluebirds gained promotion back to the top flight in 2018, he remained an integral part of Cardiff’s defence. He would be just one of a few players to play every game of the 2018-19 Premier League season although it wasn’t enough to prevent Cardiff dropping back down to The Championship at the end of that season. After their relegation, Ecuele-Manga ended his 6-year spell in English football moving back to France in 2019 with Ligue 1 side Dijon.

 

Mario Lemina (Southampton, Fulham)

Over the past few years, there have been fewer players that have switched around top sides more than enigmatic midfielder Mario Lemina. Known for being a box-to-box midfielder, Lemina joined Southampton from Juventus in 2017 with a fledgling reputation. His driving runs and powerful strikes occasionally caused defences some problems but his form varied leading to a lack of opportunities on the South Coast. At the end of the 2018-19 season, Lemina moved on loan to Turkish side Galatasaray where he impressed enough for Fulham to sign him on loan for the following season. Having made some impact at Craven Cottage, Lemina declined to stay in London once Fulham were relegated at the end of the 2020/21 season. With Southampton not having any plans for the midfielder, Lemina left for good in 2021 joining French side Nice in a quest to find regular football.

 

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (Arsenal)

One of Arsene Wenger’s final signings at Arsenal, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang proved to be quite a coup for The Gunners when he joined from Borussia Dortmund in 2018. Aubameyang’s pace and finishing was something that was known throughout world football and it proved to be on show straight away in the Premier League. Joining halfway through the 2017-18 season, Aubameyang netted 10 goals in 13 games to show he meant business. This would be just the start for the Gabon international as he would score 22 goals in each of the next two seasons becoming one of the deadliest strikers in world football. It was this form that earned him the 2018-19 Premier League Golden Boot and the Arsenal Player of the Year award in 2019. However, Aubameyang’s form suffered in the 2020-21 season where he would only score 10 goals all season. Things would fall even further for the then-Arsenal skipper as consistent issues off the pitch saw Mikel Arteta bench Aubameyang and refuse to play him in matches. This came to a head in January 2022 where the striker departed The Gunners for free via mutual consent and immediately sign for Spanish side Barcelona. It was a sudden and abrupt end for one of Arsenal’s most prolific goalscorers in recent memory.

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