Seven things about the Premier League Africans Published duration 3 September 2016

image copyright Getty Images image caption Sadio Mane signed for Liverpool for £34m ($45m), becoming Africa's most expensive player

The English Premier League has released the official list of 25-player squads for the 2016/17 season. The BBC's Stanley Kwenda looks at seven things about the African players in the Premier League.

Nine per cent

There are 47 African players plying their trade in the Premier League this season - that's an increase of one from last season.

This is around 9% of the total of 500 players.

Team Senegal

Senegal has the largest contingent of players in the league, with eight, followed by Ivory Coast with six and Nigeria five.

image copyright AFP image caption Senegal's captain Cheikhou Kouyate plays for West Ham

The country can almost make its own Premier League team. It has a fine balance of wingers, strikers and defenders:

Cheikhou Kouyate (West Ham United)

Diafra Sakho (West Ham United)

Pape Souare (Crystal Palace)

Idrissa Gana (Everton)

Oumar Niasse (Everton)

Sadio Mane (Liverpool)

Mame Biram Diouf (Stoke City)

Papi Djilobodji (Sunderland)

No goalkeeper

Strangely, there is no African goalkeeper among the 47 African players in the Premier League. Well, unless you want to count Steve Mandanda, the DR Congo-born Crystal Palace goalkeeper who plays his international football with France.

Sunderland win

image copyright EPA image caption Lamine Kone has been widely acclaimed for his performances at Sunderland

Sunderland have the most Africans players with six, after free agent Nigeria's Victor Anichebe signed two days after the transfer window had closed:

Papy Djilobodji (Senegal)

Wahbi Khazri (Tunisia)

Lamine Kone (Ivory Coast)

Didier Ndong (Gabon)

Steven Pienaar (South Africa)

Victor Anichebe (Nigeria)

Sunderland have a rich African history. It has been home to some of Africa's greatest footballers such as Cameroon's Patrick Mboma, Ghana's Asamoah Gyan and John Mensah, Zimbabwe's Benjani Mwaruwari and Morocco Talal El Karkouri.

image copyright Getty Images image caption Ahmed Musa boosted the African presence at Leicester City

Champions Leicester City have five, while Everton, Watford and West Ham United follow closely with four players each.

Last year Crystal Palace had the highest number of African players, with five, but there are only three playing for the south London club this season.

Two firsts

Equatorial Guinea and Libya have their first Premier League players this season in the form of Middlesbrough defender Emilio Nsue and Manchester United's Sadik El Fitouri, respectively.

None in Burnley

Burnley is the only Premier League club without an African player.

Tendayi Darikwa was born in England but says he would play for Zimbabwe, where his father comes from, if requested. But he has not yet been called up.

Costly defender

image copyright Getty Images image caption Manchester United's Eric Bailly and team mate Zlatan Ibrahimovic

Ivory Coast Defender Eric Bailly is one of the highest profile African players to join the Premier League this season. His £30m ($40m) transfer fee ranks him among the most expensive defenders.