Patson Daka talks difficult but inspiring Leicester campaign

When the 23-year-old Zambian made the £23million move from Red Bull Salzburg to Leicester City, there was much optimism around the club and the city. This emerged after the striker’s more than impressive previous two seasons in Austria, where the forward scored an exceptional 61 goals.

Patson Daka seemed like the perfect individual for Jamie Vardy to pass the torch over to when he finally calls it a day, something that Leicester have been searching for the past few years now. All the early season signs were indicating this to be the case. After scoring his first goal for the Foxes in a 4-2 win over Manchester United at the King Power, Daka followed that up with a historical European performance in Russia.

The Zambian international scored an outstanding four goals in a 4-3 victory against CSKA Moscow; a feat that had not been accomplished by an LCFC player since 1958. This was the best example of the forward’s clinical nature, something that he had shown regularly in his time at the Austrian champions.

Daka finished the campaign with 11 goals in all competitions, five in the Premier League and six in Europe, which in fact makes him Leicester’s all time goal scorer in European competitions. So, after the very promising start, the end to the term was not so remarkable. The attacker only scored once in his final 15 appearances. These struggles were acknowledged by the summer signing when he spoke to the Leicester Mercury:

"“It has been an okay season, not really the best like I expected, but it’s a season I can say I can build on,” He also said, “It’s not easy to go into a foreign land and to adapt there and then. It takes a bit of time. I put pressure on myself.”“I have to continue working extra hard because I know what is expected of me and what I expect of myself. At the end of the day, I know I have everything that it takes for me to be what I want to be. It’s all in me. I just have to be true to myself and believe in myself.”"

The humility and maturity the 23-year-old possess is one of the things that makes him so beloved by the East Midland outfit’s fans, as well as many associated with the club. The character is also why Brendan Rodgers seems so content to give City’s No.29 more time to adapt to the Premier League.

As the centre-forward will hopefully continue to improve under the tutelage of Vardy next year – most importantly in his movement. Anybody who has watched Daka in 2021/22 will have witnessed his electric pace, but too often he makes his run too early, or his run is too linear. That is one aspect LCFC’s all-time leading goal scorer can assist him with as it is what makes him so elite.

There is plenty of time for Daka to make great leaps with Leicester. Hopefully with a strike partner more often than not, as this is where he seemed to excel for much of the year. Not necessarily through sheer goalscoring numbers but impact on the game. A two-striker formation may be more prominent in the coming campaign, with the imminent departure of Youri Tielemans resulting in a system with a No.8 duo potentially not being necessary. This will more than likely be something that the £23m-man will reap the rewards from.