Caleb Okoli made his competitive debut for Leicester City on Saturday as Steve Cooper’s side lost 2-1 at home to Aston Villa.
Leicester City saw fit to pay Atalanta £12 million to sign centre-back Caleb Okoli this summer but the centre-back had so far had to watch on from the bench in the Premier League.
Jannik Vestergaard had been the defender chosen by Steve Cooper to partner Wout Faes for the opening two league games of the campaign.
Cooper has four senior centre-backs to chose from this season now that Conor Coady has returned from injury but it was Okoli who got the nod to start against Aston Villa having partnered Faes in the 4-0 Carabao Cup win over Tranmere Rovers in midweek.
This has the makings of a decent partnership, with the pair both having strengths that help cover the other’s flaws.
Caleb Okoli speaks after Premier League debut for Leicester City vs Aston Villa
The 2-1 defeat to Aston Villa means Leicester head into the first international break of the season winless but there have been promising signs as the Foxes have ensured their three games have been close encounters.
Villa are a Champions League team but Cooper’s side managed to make them uncomfortable after Facundo Buonanotte ate into the Villans’ 2-0 lead on 73 minutes.
An equaliser remained elusive, meaning Okoli’s first taste of Premier League action ended in defeat, but he enjoyed the experience nonetheless.
Speaking to the official Leicester City club website after the game the 23-year-old said: “It was an incredible feeling and an incredible debut.
“I’m very happy to make it here at King Power Stadium with all my team-mates. I’m very happy, but also disappointed for the result. It was everything I expected [from the Premier League].”
Okoli can build on Leicester City debut against Crystal Palace
Leicester’s first game back after the international break is away at Crystal Palace and Okoli showed enough on Saturday to suggest he should reprise his starting position alongside Faes.
According to Sofascore, Okoli made five clearances against Villa, as well as three tackles, one block and one interception.
The Italian looked relatively comfortable on the ball too, maintaining a 91% pass completion rate across his 68 attempted passes.
Having now made his King Power debut, Leicester fans have seen why the club saw fit to bring Okoli to the East Midlands from Atalanta to help with their Premier League survival bid.
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