‘Daka is a special kind of player,’ Grant urges Leicester to give Zambian striker playing time

Chipolopolo coach, Avram Grant, has pleaded with Leicester City to give striker, Patson Daka, a fresh chance after his failed bid to get a transfer away.

Daka had a hectic deadline day with a move to AC Milan breaking down in the morning and then a switch to Bournemouth falling through in the final hour of the transfer window after the Cherries failed to get a player out first.

It means, unless Daka joins a Turkish club before their transfer deadline on Friday, he will be a City player until at least January, putting him in a battle for game-time with Kelechi Iheanacho, Jamie Vardy, and new recruit Tom Cannon.

Daka has not played a single competitive minute for City yet this season, and has only been an unused substitute in two of their seven matches.

He was not rusty when he lined up for Zambia in their final Africa Cup of Nations qualifier though, scoring in a 1-1 draw with Comoros, confirming him as joint-second top scorer in qualifying with five goals, behind only Napoli and Nigeria’s Victor Osimhen.

According to the Leicester Mercury, now, as Zambia prepare for the tournament finals in Ivory Coast at the start of next year, Grant wants Daka to get game-time at City and says Leicester City Manager Enzo Maresca should not ignore a “natural scorer”.

Grant said: “Normally to be honest I would tell you I’m concerned but I know Patson Daka and he’s a special kind of player. I’d prefer that he would play. I would prefer that he would move to another club. But that didn’t happen so he’s now at Leicester City.

“I hope he will play more because Leicester City didn’t play him because he wanted to go. I’m sure that he will play more for his club because he is a natural scorer and he could help them.”

Maresca did offer a lifeline to the likes of Daka and Harry Souttar when he said there would be a “reset” following the end of the transfer window. Still, the pair did not make it onto the bench for the last game against Hull.

“It is what it is. If you want to leave, you don’t leave, and you stay, it is what it is. It’s not because of me or because of the club or because of the player, it’s a mix between all of us. The moment you decide to leave and you don’t leave, you have to stay.”

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