Struck down by a medial collateral ligament injury in his knee, Wolverhampton left-back Ghislain Konan will be out for around eight weeks with Ivory Coast. Nicolas Pépé (Villarreal) and Wilfried Singo (Galatasaray), for their part, returned to action this week.
It is a blow to the Elephants’ left flank. According to KOACI, Ghislain Konan, the Wolverhampton left-back and Ivory Coast international, injured the medial collateral ligament in his knee in training at the end of last week. The scan results revealed the damage, and the Ivorian outlet states that “the 30-year-old player will be unavailable for around eight weeks, even though he will not need surgery”.
The double-header against Gambia, on 12 November in Bouaké and then 17 November in Gambia, for matchdays 3 and 4 of the 2027 AFCON qualifiers, will therefore take place without him.
Konan, a false start in England
The timing is all the harsher: having arrived free in September from Gil Vicente, Konan has played only two or three league matches since his arrival in England, according to AMI Sportif and InfoRelayeur. He missed Wolverhampton’s 1-0 win over Watford on Saturday 24 October, on matchday 12 of the Championship.
Pépé and Singo reappear
Nicolas Pépé, the Villarreal winger and Ivory Coast international, returned to action on Tuesday 27 October in the Copa del Rey, scoring his team’s fifth goal against Manacor, reports Dailysports. Absent since 29 September, he had left the Ivory Coast camp for the birth of his child, then underwent eye surgery, according to Africa Soccer.
Wilfried Singo, the Galatasaray right-back and Ivory Coast international, returned on Monday in the derby against Fenerbahçe, won 2-1. Coming on for around eight minutes in place of Victor Osimhen, he had been absent since 29 August and the 3-2 win over Göztepe, according to AMI Sportif.
These returns do not amount to a call-up: neither player is guaranteed a place in the squad. They do, however, give the staff options back two weeks before the Bouaké fixture.
Fofana and Diakité knocking on the door
Yaya Kader Fofana, the 22-year-old Stade de Reims midfielder, has 8 goals and 2 assists in ten Ligue 2 matches and was voted Ligue 2 player of the month for September, according to 225foot. The outlet reports a comment from a source in the Ivory Coast technical staff: “We had wanted to bring him in for the last camp. But since then he has kept performing. His consistency is astonishing. For a midfielder, it is impressive to see how many goals he scores. I can’t tell you he is on the list, but what is certain is that he is an interesting player.” Under contract with Reims until 30 June 2029, Fofana is valued at 5 million euros.
Oumar Diakité, the striker now tied to SK Sturm Graz until June 2028, has five goals in three league matches since the start of October, again according to 225foot.
Hervé Renard’s list is expected on 5 November.