Exclusive: Don Goodman issues Leicester City warning as Everton target "electric" Foxes star | OneFootball

Don Goodman believes winger Abdul Fatawu will be crucial to Leicester City's promotion hopes this season.

Sky Sports pundit Don Goodman believes keeping hold of winger Abdul Fatawu will be crucial to Leicester City's promotion chances in the Championship this season.

Fatawu initially joined Leicester on loan from Sporting Lisbon in the summer of 2023, and he scored six goals and provided 13 assists in 40 appearances to help the club to the Championship title under Enzo Maresca during his first year at the King Power Stadium.

The Foxes signed Fatawu on a permanent basis last summer following promotion for a fee of £14 million, and he made a bright start to life in the Premier League as he provided two assists in 11 appearances, but he picked up a serious knee injury while on international duty with Ghana in November that ruled him out for the rest of the season.

Fatawu is now back to full fitness, and after some impressive performances during pre-season, the 21-year-old started Leicester's 2-1 victory over Sheffield Wednesday on Sunday as new manager Marti Cifuentes began his reign with three points.

However, it remains to be seen whether Cifuetnes will be able to call upon Fatawu's services beyond the end of the transfer window, with reports this week suggesting that the winger is on Everton's list of transfer targets.

Don Goodman makes Abdul Fatawu, Leicester City claim as Everton circle

Speaking exclusively to Football League World, Goodman predicted that Fatawu will be one of Leicester's key performers this season, and he claimed that keeping him fit and firing will be crucial if the Foxes are to make an immediate return to the Premier League.

"Sunday was massive for Marti Cifuentes and Leicester City," Goodman said.

"It was really important that they got a win on the board against a team who most people feel are going to really, really struggle this season.

"Although they made hard work of it, they'll be really pleased with the way they fought back and kept going and managed to get the win.

"Abdul Fatawu was electric in the Championship last time. Six goals and 13 assists is just a massive contribution.

"Obviously, he will be much-needed by Leicester if they are going to achieve their aim of getting back to the Premier League.

"I would say he's going to be one of the key players for them. Had he been available for them last season in the Premier League, I'm not saying Leicester would have survived, but I think they would have made a much better fist of it."

Leicester City must resist Abdul Fatawu interest for two clear reasons

It seems Leicester are facing a battle to keep hold of Fatawu amid reported interest from Everton, but they must firmly reject any advances from the Toffees.

As Goodman said, Fatawu was outstanding during his previous spell in the Championship, and the Foxes will have a much stronger chance of achieving their promotion ambitions if they are able to retain the Ghana international.

If Fatawu is sold, Leicester would likely receive a significant windfall, but given their well-documented financial problems, it is unclear how much of that money they would be able to reinvest in the squad.

With that in mind, it could be incredibly difficult for the Foxes to find a replacement for Fatawu of similar quality on a limited budget.