Evening Telegraph (First Edition)
Ex-Dee pair bidding for Africa Cup of Nations glory
TWO former Dundee players will rub shoulders with superstars such as Mo Salah, Riyhad Mahrez and Sadio Mane as the Africa Cup of Nations kicks off this Sunday.
One-time Dark Blues defender Steven Caulker and ex-Dens goalie Seny Dieng will line up for Sierra Leone and Senegal respectively in the Covid-delayed tournament taking place in Cameroon.
Caulker is a former England international who had played at the top level for Tottenham, Cardiff and Liverpool so signing for Dundee was a bit of a coup for then-boss Neil McCann. However, the personal problems that dogged his career previously resurfaced while at Dens Park and Caulker triggered a clause in his contract to depart a free agent in 2018.
He has since made a successful impact on Turkish football, earning a big move to Fenerbahce. A change of coach shortly after his arrival has seen him head back out on loan to Gaziantep.
Having family hailing from Fife, Caulker was eligible for Scotland. After sounding out Steve Clarke, Caulker then pursued his eligibility to feature for Sierra Leone through his paternal grandfather.
He has now received clearance from Fifa to switch allegiance from England to the African side and will join them to face Man City wizard Mahrez’s Algeria, plus Equatorial Guinea and Ivory Coast in the group stages.
QPR shot-stopper Dieng joined Dundee for an ill-fated loan spell in 2019.
Arriving alongside a huge influx of players under Jim McIntyre, Dieng showed some quality in his temporary stay at Dens Park. He could not help prevent relegation that season, however.
Since featuring 18 times for Dundee, Dieng has become QPR’s No 1 in the English Championship, playing 55 times since the start of last season. He’ll be battling it out with Chelsea’s Edouard Mendy for the Senegal goalie’s jersey.