After an emotional end to Euro 2024, attention now turns back to the Premier League. The start of the 2024/25 season is just around the corner, and anticipation is beginning to build. However, before the season kicks off, there is the small matter of the 2024 Summer Olympics. Which players are set to play at the Olympic Games this year, potentially missing the start of the new season?
Group A (France, Guinea, New Zealand, USA)
The Olympic rules state that Men’s Football squads may only contain 3 players over the age of 22. Therefore, many countries have opted against naming well-known superstars in their Olympics squad. In Group A, only two Premier League stars have made the cut.
Crystal Palace’s Jean-Philippe Mateta has been included in France’s squad as one of their over 23 players. He will link up with former teammate Michael Olise in a bid to claim gold for their country. Mateta scored 16 goals for Crystal Palace last season. If he is to miss their opening game of the new campaign, this would be a significant loss for Palace.
The other Premier League inclusion in Group A may be lesser known than Mateta. Chelsea goalkeeper Gabriel Slonina will be representing the USA in Paris this summer. For Enzo Maresca’s Chelsea, this inclusion is unlikely to shake their preparations for the new season too much.
Group B (Argentina, Iraq, Morocco, Ukraine)
The countries in Group B provide a lot of potential for Premier League players to be called up. However, only one player in this group comes from the Premier League. Manchester City’s Julian Alvarez is in the Argentina squad, and is looking to add another medal to his collection.
Premier League stars such as Mikhailo Mudryk, Alexis Mac Allister and Nayef Aguerd have all been left out of the tournament, while Iraq also declined to call up former Manchester United star Zidane Iqbal for their squad.
Alvarez is a fairly big miss for Manchester City, however they should have enough firepower to cope without him for their opening game of the season against Chelsea.
Group C (Dominican Republic, Egypt, Spain, Uzbekistan)
Group C surprisingly contains zero Premier League players. With a multitude of Spanish talent playing in England’s top flight, thankfully for fans of these clubs, none have been called up for the Olympic Games. Former Manchester City stars Eric Garcia and Sergio Gomez are both involved, but no current Premier League stars have made the squad.
Additionally, no Premier League stars are included in any of the remaining squads. Only Mohamed Elneny has any ties to the Premier League, having recently been released by Arsenal, but included in the Egypt squad.
Group D (Japan, Mali, Paraguay, Israel)
Paraguay boast two Premier League stars in their Olympics squad. Brighton’s Julio Enciso has been called up, despite missing the majority of the 2023/24 season with a knee injury. Alongside him, Wolves’ Enso Gonzalez is also set to represent his country at the games.
He is one of two Wolves players included in Group D. Mali’s Boubacar Kamara has also been handed a call up and will compete for the gold medal this summer. Elsewhere in this group, none of the Japanese squad that have been called up have any ties to the Premier League, with stars like Takehiro Tomiyasu and Karou Mitoma not selected.
How Will This Affect The Premier League?
Julian Alvarez and Jean-Philippe Mateta are the two biggest Premier League stars heading to the Olympic Games this summer. Argentina and France are both expected to progress far into the tournament. Therefore, it is likely that both will miss their opening Premier League games of the season.
With Fantasy Premier League managers across the country constantly checking for updates about player availability and Premier League injuries, it is important to keep this in mind when selecting your new team.
Only the opening game of the season is expected to be affected, making it unlikely to have too much of an impact on Manchester City or Crystal Palace’s season. However, with a packed footballing schedule ahead, both clubs will be hoping their star men can make it through the tournament without sustaining any injuries.