Jose kept quiet when the fixtures were announced but just days later he’s started his usual pre-season gripes, although this time his moaning has handed us Fantasy Managers a timely reminder. Mourinho remarked yesterday that he will no longer consider signing African players as the reality of losing the backbone of his side to the African Nations Cup in January, hit home. Chelsea are likely to lose Drogba, Kalou, Essien, Mikel and Geremi to the tournament for the crucial New Year period.

The African Nations Cup Finals will be taking place in Ghana from January 20 to February 10. This means Fantasy Managers could lose players for up to 4 matches between those dates.

It’s not just Chelsea affected – there are a whole list of players who could play a part and it’s certainly worth considering before you add the likes of Martins, Yakubu and Yobo to your pre-season auction shortlist. To help you out I’ve created a permenant table of players who could be affected by the tournament here. I’ll be updating this page regularly as more signings are made and more nations seal their qualification.