Chelsea and Everton received a boost yesterday when John Obi Mikel, Joseph Yobo and Yakubu Ayegbeni were given permission to postpone reporting for African Cup of Nations duty until after Tuesday’s Carling Cup semi-final. The Nigeria squad is due to meet for a training camp in Málaga on Sunday, but all three players have been given special dispensation by the Nigerian FA to delay their flights until Wednesday to allow them to play in the first leg at Stamford Bridge. Everton are waiting to hear when Steven Pienaar, the midfield player, is required to report for duty with South Africa.

Both clubs stand to benefit from the diplomatic skills of Avram Grant, the Chelsea first-team coach, who has been working behind the scenes in an attempt to limit the damage that the African competition will do to his squad. The Israeli phoned Berti Vogts, the Nigeria coach, with a personal plea for Mikel’s release date to be postponed this week and received confirmation yesterday that the German was willing to grant his wishes.

Grant has had less success with Ivory Coast, however, with Salomon Kalou and Didier Drogba due to report after tomorrow’s FA Cup third-round tie against Queens Park Rangers, despite Drogba’s knee injury. The 29-year-old forward hopes to be fit to play in Ivory Coast’s opening match, against Nigeria on January 21, but Chelsea are taking no chances and are planning to send a club doctor to ensure that he gets the best possible medical treatment.

Michael Essien will fly to Ghana’s training camp in Dubai this weekend after being ruled out of the match against QPR through suspension, but Chelsea are hopeful of welcoming him back to play one more match for them before the tournament starts on January 20. Chelsea have an excellent relationship with the Ghanaian FA after a charity visit to Accra last year and have asked that Essien be allowed to return from the Middle East to play in the Barclays Premier League match against Tottenham Hotspur on January 14 before flying to Ghana for the opening game of the tournament against Guinea six days later. Essien is keen to return despite the intense travelling demands and the request is being considered.

Grant’s success in getting as many games out of his players as possible contrasts with the attitude of Arsenal, who will say goodbye to Kolo Touré, Emmanuel Eboué and Alexandre Song after Sunday’s FA Cup tie away to Burnley. Song, 20, received his first international call-up for Cameroon yesterday and Arsène Wenger will be without all three players for the first leg of the Carling Cup semi-final against Tottenham Hotspur on Wednesday.

“I’ve been working really hard for the opportunity to join up with the national team so I am really happy,” Song said. “I think that having the chance to play in the Champions League with Arsenal has helped me. Those games are never easy and they have helped me raise my level so that now I can go to the national team. I just need to seize my chance when I go to Ghana.”

With Ghana, Ivory Coast and Nigeria among the favourites for the tournament, Chelsea and Arsenal could be without several of their players for more than six weeks because the final does not take place until February 10.