Abdul Fatawu is still 19 years of age, but he’s making somewhat of an impression at the King Power Stadium
Some big earners such as Youri Tielemans, Caglar Soyuncu and Ayoze Perez all departed the King Power Stadium, but Jamie Vardy, Wilfred Ndidi, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, Ricardo Pereira and many others have stayed to try and get the Foxes back to the Premier League under new head coach Enzo Maresca.
There was also some smart recruitment over the summer by the City hierarchy, bringing in experienced names such as Harry Winks and Conor Coady as well as younger players like Yunus Akgun and Tom Cannon.
One player who has definitely showed what he is all about though is Abdul Fatawu, with the 19-year-old entrusted by Maresca to play a major part in his fluid system.
Fatawu was loaned in from Sporting CP of Portugal, who plucked the youngster from Ghana in 2022, having already become an international for his home nation at the age of 17.
Playing just 12 times for Sporting’s first-team last season as he was eased gently into top flight first-team football, Leicester clearly saw his flashes of ability and he was picked out as a good fit for Maresca’s system, where he wants his wingers to stay wide to start with and then cut in and make things happen.
And whilst the 14-cap international has only scored once and assisted once in his 11 Championship outing going into this weekend, the 19-year-old has been really exciting Foxes fans with his trickery and directness.
| Abdul Fatawu’s Leicester City League Stats 2023-24 | ||
| Appearances | 11 | |
| Goals | 1 | |
| Expected Goals (xG) | 0.61 | |
| Assists | 1 | |
| Expected Assists (xA) | 2.32 | |
| Shots Per Game | 1.9 | |
| Key Passes Per Game | 1.2 | |
| Dribbles Per Game | 2.5 | |
| Pass Success % | 82 | |
| Big Chances Missed | 0 | |
| Touches Per Game | 41.1 | |
| (Stats Correct As Of November 10, 2023) | ||
Back when he was still playing in Ghana in 2021, Fatawu was wanted by the likes of Liverpool, which just showed the level of talent he had despite only playing domestic football at a very young age.
He probably went to a good place for his development though in Sporting CP, but if Leicester are promoted to the Premier League this season, his time in Portugal will come to an end.
What is Leicester City’s transfer agreement for Abdul Fatawu?
As part of the loan deal that brought Fatawu to Leicester, a permanent fixed-fee agreement was put into the contract in the event of Maresca’s side climbing back to the top flight of English football at the first opportunity.
And should that happen, which looks pretty likely going off the first third of the Championship campaign, then Leicester will have to stump up €17 million (£14.2 million) for the winger’s services, according to Portuguese publication Record.
On the face of it, for a 19-year-old with good pace and dribbling abilities and is very much holding his own at a competitive level, that could prove to be a real bargain over the next few years.
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