Why Daka has joined Leicester ahead of Man Utd, Arsenal and Liverpool

Robin Bairner

• Updated: 30 Jun 2021 06:58 CDT
• 5 min read

Patson Daka completed his £23 million move to Leicester from Red Bull Salzburg on Wednesday, with the Foxes beating out the likes of Manchester United, Arsenal and Liverpool for his signature.

Daka follows in the footsteps of Erling Haaland, who has moved from the Austrian Bundesliga club to Borussia Dortmund, where he has become Europe’s most-wanted centre forward.

And like Haaland, the Zambia international was prolific for Red Bull Salzburg, scoring 27 goals in 28 league matches last season as he was named Austria’s Player of the Season.

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What Daka says

Speaking to Leicester’s official website at his unveiling, Daka explained: “I feel it is the perfect place for me, because it’s a team that fights for titles. I know it’s not going to be easy, but I feel ready to face this new challenge.”

Why Leicester suit Daka

Leicester seems a sensible step up for Daka from Salzburg. They have proven themselves a top Premier League club over the last five years and have achieved this thanks in part to their excellent recruitment. They tend to get moves right, and that has to give confidence to any player they target.

Furthermore, there will not be the burden of expectation on Daka that there would be at one of the Premier League’s super clubs. Instant success, then, is not imperative. He will have a chance to settle in the league.

A third key reason, which is something that Daka himself touched upon during his interview with the club, is that his playing style suits Leicester, who tend to thrive in transition and seek to use the pace of striker Jamie Vardy to get in behind opposing defence.

As the player himself said: “I’ve followed their games and the playing style. Jamie Vardy is one of the players that I look up to because of his playing style and the qualities that he has. I’m excited to be next to him and learn for him.”

While Daka admits that his playing style “depends on the situation, the game and my opponents”, one of his outstanding attributes is the pace he possesses to get beyond rearguards in a similar style to Vardy. At clubs that dominate possession more, this is clearly harder to achieve.

With these three points in mind, then, it is easy to see why Leicester would be an attractive option for Daka – even amid interest from three of the world’s biggest clubs in the form of Man Utd, Arsenal and Liverpool.