Sunderland will hope Leicester City transfer miss doesn't haunt them | OneFootball

The Black Cats will be hoping their Premier League survival hopes don’t dwindle after missing out on Abdul Fatawu.

Naturally, with relegation from the Premier League, Leicester City were expected to lose a number of key first-team assets.

And that proved to be the case, with the likes of Mads Hermansen, Wilfried Ndidi, Kasey McAteer, Bilal El Khannouss and James Justin all departing for new challenges.

But one player they’ve managed to keep hold of is star winger Abdul Fatawu, who was strongly linked with a move away from the King Power Stadium this summer.

After not having the fairest of shots in the Premier League due to an ACL injury which prematurely curtailed his campaign, Sunderland were interested in making a move for the 21-year-old back in August, and handing him a fresh opportunity, but they weren’t prepared to meet the £30m asking price.

The Black Cats were aiming to put a squad together that will be able to survive in their first season back in the top-flight for eight years and enjoyed an eye-catching summer window laden with big-money arrivals on Wearside, but they may have missed a trick by not luring the 21-year-old to the club given the impact he’s made with the Foxes so far.

As far as Leicester are concerned, they will be delighted to retain the services of Fatawu, whose attributes make him one of the most dangerous attackers in the division and gives them a great chance of returning to the big time themselves — even replacing Sunderland.

Abdul Fatawu’s impact for Leicester City

Leicester City brought Abdul Fatawu over to England, originally on loan, from Sporting Lisbon in the summer of 2023, and he was instrumental to the Foxes gaining immediate promotion back to the Premier League.

With his silky movement, direct nature, and wand of a left foot, the Ghanaian recorded six goals and 13 assists from 40 second-tier games, immediately hitting the ground running, most notably hitting a hat-trick in a 5-0 demolition job over Southampton.

Heading into the top-flight, and unsurprisingly, Fatawu made his move permanent and continued to stamp his authority on matches.

On his Premier League debut, he notched an assist in a draw with Tottenham Hotspur before doubling his tally in a narrow victory over Southampton.

But then, he would suffer an unfortunate cruciate ligament injury which would require surgery in October 2024, ruling him out for the remainder of the season.

He’s now worked incredibly hard to come back and be ready for the new 2025-26 campaign, and he’s started brilliantly again, scoring consecutive goals in their last two fixtures against Charlton Athletic and Birmingham City, with the latter a superbly executed finish into the top left-hand corner.

Abdul Fatawu is a serious talent on the Leicester City books, and he’s proving once again why he is so vital to any promotion push forming in the East Midlands.

He is a menace on the right flank, possessing electric pace, dominating in 1v1 situations and having a clinical eye for goal, which has been demonstrated in Leicester’s last two fixtures.

With Sunderland, they opted to sign the likes of Simon Adingra, Chemsdine Talbi and Bertrand Traore as options out wide instead, and time will only tell if they are good enough to step up to the challenge of the top-flight.

But Fatawu has already shown that he can be such a valuable asset in the top two divisions of English football, a great sign that he is destined for the top as he’s doing at this at such a young age.

If Sunderland had signed him, then the winger may have been able to maintain his trajectory and helped to keep the Black Cats in the Premier League with ease over a number of years, while they would have been bound to make such a significant profit on their original investment if he moved to a traditional ‘top six’ team - which appears a firm future possibility given his potential.

But that hasn’t happened, and it looks like the Wearside outfit have missed a golden chance to sign the wideman, as his value could surge if he continues to produce the goods for Leicester and helps them get back to the big time.

This decision could be so costly when it comes to Sunderland’s chances of maintaining their position in the Premier League, and they’ll be sweating that their alternative additions can have the desired impact, otherwise it’ll be something the club rues for a very long time and has a big influence on their future.