Sunderland are braced to lose a huge core of their squad ahead of the upcoming African Cup of Nations.
The international competition is set to kick off on December 21 in Morocco, but what effect will it have on the Premier League?
Regis Le Bris is expected to lose at least four first-team stars who are poised to represent their countries.
Here, Transfer News Blitz writer Ellie McDevitt looks at who the Black Cats will be without and why it will be an issue.
Reinildo Mandava
Signed from Atletico Madrid in the summer, the left-back moved to Wearside on a two-year contract and has already found himself a regular starter for the Black Cats.
The Sunderland star is set to be the only Premier League player to feature for Mozambique, who are competing in the tournament for the sixth time.
The Mambas qualified alongside Mali in Group I – a tough group which saw them claim three wins, two draws and a loss.
Having made an impressive start to the season, the 33-year-old has so far produced 16 tackles, nine key interceptions and already has 48 duels won to his name, 14 of which are aerial.
With fellow left-back Arthur Masuaku set to play for DR Congo, the only other player fit to fill this void would be Dennis Cirkin, who is currently returning from injury.
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Noah Sadiki
Brought in from Union Saint-Gilloise, the midfielder signed a five-year contract for a fee of around £15 million, becoming Sunderland’s third signing of the window.
The 20-year-old is set to play for DR Congo, who topped Group H with 12 points that saw four wins and two defeats.
Sadiki has proven to be an integral part of a young Black Cats side, having played the third most minutes with only Robin Roefs and Granit Xhaka playing more.
The youngster has impressed so far with an 87% pass completion, 17 tackles and 43 duels won.
With a big void to fill, it looks to be ex-captain Dan Neil who may get his first run of Premier League action.
Chemsdine Talbi
Arriving from Belgian outfit Club Brugge, the winger signed a five-year deal for the Black Cats back in July this year.
Talbi is likely to be selected for the home nation, Morocco, a side tipped to win the tournament, after winning every game of Group B.
The 20-year-old has one goal and one assist to his name, notably scoring the winner in Sunderland’s 2-1 win against Chelsea.
Talbi has already proven to be an attacking threat with 16 touches in the opposition box and a pass completion of 85%, something that will be hard to replace.
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Habib Diarra
Club record signing Habib Diarra joined the Black Cats from Strasbourg for a fee of £30 million in the summer.
Diarra is destined to play for Senegal after they qualified for the tournament, finishing top of Group L with five wins and a draw.
The Senegalese midfielder has only played four games after suffering an injury in training back in September, however, in this short time, he showcased an 82% pass completion and had an XG of 0.58.
With a high-flying Sunderland side set to lose a big aspect of their summer rejuvenation, the question will be, can they continue to excel, or will they drop off?
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