Sunderland and Everton must love what's happening at Leicester City for one big reason | OneFootball

Leicester City’s Championship struggles will allow the likes of Sunderland and Everton to lure Abdul Fatawu away next summer.

Leicester City’s survival hopes in the Championship hang in the balance.

In a disastrous season both on and off the pitch on their return to the second-tier, the Foxes are in real danger of suffering back-to-back relegations and playing third-tier football for the first time since 2009.

After parting ways with Marti Cifuentes towards the end of January when they were in the bottom half of the table, a subsequent six-point deduction from the EFL for breaching P&S rules and four successive defeats under interim boss Andy King has left the Foxes languishing in the bottom three.

The East Midlands outfit were plunged into the dropzone after Blackburn claimed a vital 3-1 win away at QPR last weekend, while Portsmouth took a giant leap towards safety by securing victory at Charlton Athletic by the same scoreline in midweek.

Leicester’s soft underbelly was on show in their last league outing against Southampton a week ago, where the Foxes conceded four goals in 35 second-half minutes to squander a three-goal advantage.

Staying resolute at the back will be vital to securing their place in the Championship next season, and their fortunes could soon turn around given Gary Rowett is closing in on taking the vacant position, looking to build on successful second-tier stints with Millwall and Oxford United.

One area Leicester don’t have to worry about is scoring goals, particularly when they’ve still got influential attacker Abdul Fatawu on the books.

After bringing the Ghanian over to England, originally on loan from Sporting Lisbon in the summer of 2023, he was instrumental to the Foxes gaining immediate promotion back to the Premier League.

Fatawu registered six goals and 13 assists from 40 second-tier games, and while showing early promise in the top-flight, suffered an unfortunate cruciate ligament injury which would require surgery in October 2024 and rule him out for the remainder of the season.

But back in the second-tier, he’s lighting up the Championship stage on the right-wing and could be a hugely important player to ensure Leicester secure survival come May.

Meanwhile, Premier League duo Sunderland and Everton are sure to be rubbing their hands together at Leicester’s scenario, with the pair in a fantastic position to seal the signature of what looks to be a Premier League player in waiting, now they know the Foxes will not be making an instant return to the top-flight themselves.

Abdul Fatawu’s 2025-26 campaign and links to Sunderland & Everton

After failing to prove his credentials in the Premier League due to such an untimely injury, there was a gateway to return to the big time last summer following Leicester’s relegation, as a report from BBC Sport claimed that Sunderland and Everton both held an interest in securing Fatawu’s services, with an asking price of £30m demand by the Foxes.

The move didn’t materialise, but links to Sunderland did resurface in January, with a report from Football Insider claiming that the Black Cats were prepared to reignite their interest in the Ghanaian at the turn of the year to bolster their wide options and sustain their brilliant opening term back in the Premier League.

However, Sky Sports reporter Keith Downie revealed via his X account that Sunderland hold no current interest in the 21-year-old.

According to Downie, Fatawu had been offered to Regis Le Bris' side in the previous transfer window, but with Sunderland since going on to defy expectations following promotion from the Championship, they had moved on to pursue other targets.

While Fatawu hasn’t been able to have another crack in the big time, it’s been all for Leicester’s gain, with the wideman the one attacking player who has the potential to turn the tide of a match out of nothing, and could be paramount to results turning around.

Fatawu’s silky movement, direct nature, and wand of a left foot has seen him be one of the shining lights in the second-tier despite a rough campaign for the Foxes, recording eight goals and seven assists from 32 matches, with a lot of his efforts going on to be game-changers.

His most recent one came through a stunning last-gasp volley to seal victory over relegation rivals West Brom in the opening week of January, incidentally, the Foxes last league victory, while he has also produced in front of goal against the likes of Oxford United, Birmingham City and Southampton in recent weeks, but the team hasn’t been able to get over the line to secure the points.

Fatawu is a player who gets fans out of their seats, with his individual flair to produce magical moments out of the blue deserving of a place to establish himself in the Premier League.

Given Leicester City’s ongoing battle at the bottom end of the table, there is now a remote chance that they are to be involved anywhere near the promotion race, so at best, the Foxes will be a second-tier side next season.

For Abdul Fatawu, he will have his sights firmly set on making his name in the Premier League after two excellent campaigns at Championship level, so you would feel the likes of Sunderland and Everton would be in strong positions to strike deals when the upcoming summer transfer window comes around.

With an exit feeling inevitable for a player too good for the Championship, the duo may also be able to lure Fatawu away for an even cheaper fee than the previously demanded £30m. Leicester will surely take any sizeable chunk of money to help with the running of the club and to also bolster options within the squad, which could be decimated if they do end up dropping into League One.

For now. Fatawu just has to focus on his football and ensure Leicester get out of the mess they find themselves in, but the likes of Sunderland and Everton will surely reignite their interest as they could be able to land a Premier League quality player for a fraction of the price they should be paying.