Caleb Okoli enjoyed a momentous couple of days last week as he received his maiden call-up to the senior Italy squad and then made his Premier League debut.
The £15m summer signing replaced Jannik Vestergaard in the Leicester City starting line-up for the 2-1 loss to Aston Villa and he’s said he hopes to “consolidate” his position in the team when he returns to the UK. For now, his focus is on a potential Italy debut against France on Friday.
However, Okoli may find it tough to establish himself as a consistent starter in City’s back-line. That’s not just because there is plenty of competition for places, with Wout Faes and Conor Coady vying for game-time as well as Vestergaard, but because manager Steve Cooper has suggested he will change his team depending on the opponent.
Okoli’s pace may have earned him the nod against Villa, so that City could better deal with Ollie Watkins. Whether Cooper feels the same qualities are required when City head to Crystal Palace after the international break will be intriguing.
“It’s different attributes because there are different requirements for playing against different teams,” Cooper said at the weekend when explaining the decision to bring in Okoli. “It’s about who you feel can have the best impact and deal with the opponents’ threat.
“They play well, Villa. But I also know they can look really good on breakaways and counter-attacks. You need to be able to deal with that as well. It was good for Caleb, I thought he did well.”
But Okoli will be doing his utmost to convince Cooper he is not the man to drop. The 23-year-old wants to make sure his dream move works out after turning down Serie A interest to transfer to the Premier League.
Speaking at a press conference on Italy duty this week, he said: “I had great emotions. The Premier League debut was very important for me. I only knew about the senior [Italy] call-up a few days earlier, and I am really happy with it.
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