Everton and Wolverhampton Wanderers were watching Patson Daka closely but Premier League rivals Leicester City are on the verge of completing a near-£30 million deal for the Red Bull Salzburg striker, as reported by 90Min.
Now, when it comes to signing strikers who have made their name in the relatively small pond that is the Austrian Bundesliga, an element of risk is involved.
Erling Haaland’s staggering goals return at Borussia Dortmund did the reputation of one of Europe’s lesser leagues no harm at all, of course.
But for every Haaland, there’s also a Munas Dabbur or Shon Weissman, both of whom struggled to adapt to life in La Liga.
Takumi Minamino and Hwang Hee-chan, meanwhile, hardly set the world alight after joining Liverpool and RB Leipzig respectively in 2020.
So while Daka will arrive at Leicester with a glittering reputation and a remarkable track record – the so called ‘next Thierry Henry’ produced 34 goals and 12 assists for a title-winning Salzburg side in 2020/21 – the jury is still out.
Everton and Wolves both wanted Daka
90Min claims Leicester have fought off competition from a number of Premier League rivals for a striker who had been heavily linked with Liverpool, Arsenal and West Ham United.
The report throws two more names into the frame today, suggesting Daka had also been scouted extensively by Everton and Wolves, not to mention Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur.
But the chance to work with Brendan Rodgers – a coach who had a transformative impact on fellow Nigeria internationals Moussa Dembele, Odsonne Edouard and Kelechi Iheanacho – always felt too good to turn down.
Daka, a speedy and mobile attacker in the Jamie Vardy mould, should also find game time easy to come by at a Leicester side that will be playing Europa League football again in 2021/22.
It’s not hard to imagine Daka dovetailing beautifully with the elegant Iheanacho, racing on to one of the Nigerian’s cutting through balls.
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