After formally joining Leicester City, Abdul Fatawu bemoans the dearth of opportunities at his previous team, Sporting CP.
Today, July 1, marks the international footballer from Ghana’s permanent status with Foxes after his loan stint throughout the 2023–24 season. Prior to the £14.4 million mandatory purchase clause in his contract being activated by the club’s promotion, he made 43 appearances across all competitions, scoring seven goals and providing 13 assists.
One year after joining Portuguese champions Sporting CP, he made his first move to England, where he had to wait for a chance to play adult football. This was a result of his signing in April 2022 as an underage player, which prevented him from being registered in the middle of the 2021–2022 season.
However, in the twelve times that the 20-year-old was eventually made eligible for selection by Ruben Amorim, only one of those selections included him in the starting lineup.
“On sometimes, I believe the experience wasn’t all that horrible. Thinking back on his time in Lisbon and his most recent transfer, Fatawu told 3news via Record, “It happened that way because sometimes the opportunity wasn’t there.” “But when I had those opportunities, I had more confidence and that’s what made it easier.”
For this reason, the winger has more positive memories of working with Enzo Maresca from his year on loan at King Power Stadium, when selection problems were a thing of the past.
“I think it had everything to do with the confidence he gave me on the pitch, the way he guided me throughout the championship and everything else,” he remarked regarding the Italian.
Naturally, he will not have the opportunity to collaborate with his previous coach in the upcoming campaign, so when pre-season preparations get underway in the East Midlands, he will need to build a rapport with the new Steve Cooper.
