Leicester City’s Abdul Fatawu transfer situation clarified | OneFootball

The transfer situation around Leicester City winger Abdul Fatawu has been clarified, following his blistering performance against Southampton, which takes his temporary team a step closer to a return to the Premier League.

The Foxes laid down a 5-0 battering of the Saints at the King Power Stadium last night. At one point, it seemed like their automatic promotion hopes had slipped out of what felt like an iron-like grip at the time.

Poor losses to the likes of Plymouth Argyle and Millwall in back-to-back games made it seem as if the former Premier League champions were falling apart at the exact wrong moment.

Saturday saw them eke out a gutsy win over West Bromwich Albion, thanks to a few goal line clearances from Hamza Choudhury, but Tuesday night was Leicester at their best, but it was also Southampton at their worst.

The post-match comments of Russell Martin, calling his players pathetic for how they performed after Wilfried Ndidi doubled City's advantage, is what made the main headlines. But, in terms of performances, there is only one man to look at from this game, and that is the Ghanaian winger.

The 20-year-old has stepped up throughout most of the season and consistently produced for his team. He has registered six goals and 12 assists so far in the Foxes' 2023/24 league campaign, and half of those times that he found the back of the net came on Tuesday.

Like most of his teammates, he's been on a bit of a barren run over the past month, but his hat-trick in front of a home crowd last night will serve as a reminder of not only his brilliance, but also that he isn't fully theirs yet.

Abdul Fatawu transfer situation

Fatawu joined Leicester on loan near the end of the summer transfer window from Sporting Lisbon. They had to pay the Portuguese side €750,000 as a loan fee, and a clause was inserted into the contract that stated that City could sign him if certain objectives were achieved, as per Leicestershire Live.

Following the Ghanaian's performance against Martin's side, journalist Ben JacobsLeicester have an option to buy Fatawu for €17 million (£14.6 million) if they win promotion to the Premier League this season.

Leicester should definitely sign Abdul Fatawu

As a 20-year-old, he is showing so many signs of promise, and, for that price, it will be hard for City to find many other players with his level of raw ability.

Enzo MAresca has spoken a lot about his style of play, and his refusal to move away from it, no matter what. It's a very controlling way of playing, but, unlike other sides who operate in this fashion, Leicester don't always create a lot of chances, because they are so focused on keeping hold of possession.

Fatawu is a spark plug in this system, someone who can create something out of nothing. That unpredictability, for good or for bad, can be very effective in a team that is often so surgical in its approach. Players like him are the ones that will cause teams issues, regardless of whether they're in the top flight or the second division.