Abdul Fatawu’s transfer to Leicester City hailed as ‘biggest waste’ as Sporting Lisbon exit mourned

Abdul Fatawu left Sporting to join Leicester City after just one senior appearance for the Portuguese club. And there are fans in Lisbon who feel their team did not give the 20-year-old a proper opportunity.

Sporting signed Fatawu from Steadfast FC in his native Ghana in the summer of 2022. While part of the first team in his debut season in Portugal, he made just 12 appearances, 11 of which came off the bench.

They then loaned him to City, where his electrifying displays showed that he is one of the most promising young wingers on the market. He has now left Sporting permanently, with the Portuguese side only receiving around half of the £14m fee, with the remainder going to Steadfast.

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Following the announcement of their permanent move to the King Power Stadium, some Sporting fans have expressed their disappointment. Here is a selection of comments from social media.

@joao_catarino10: “The biggest waste of the Amorim era. What talent, what quality. May our Fatawu have the greatest luck in the world.”

@_pedro1906: “€9.1m for Fatawu. A short amount for what the player could have been both on a sporting and financial level, but you need to be 100% focused on the project and connected with the ideas the coach wants so that the player is in tune.”

@bernardoalvesr: “It’s a shame because I always thought Fatawu would destroy Portugal.”

@eugenyuz: “Good luck, Fatawu. Always very well behaved and without causing controversy, even though he was treated unfairly to the detriment of players much inferior to him.”

@MateoTancurto: “I will always be a fan of Abdul Fatawu’s football. The potential was tremendous. Good luck in England.”

@HJUL42: “If he has a good season I can see him finishing in the top six in the Premier League.”

@FortesFT: “Excellent deal. We weren’t going to get more than that in the future. Best decision for both parties.”

@caesarion_: “A good player, he is in a team and in a championship that are perfect for his characteristics. It is also ungrateful that Sporting fans have asked for more from him or think he is a bad seller. Good for both parties.”

Speaking at the end of last season, Sporting manager Ruben Amorim said players flourish in different environments, as was the case with Fatawu. He was pleased that the winger was showing his potential at City, rather than lamenting that he had not done so at Sporting.

Amorim explained: “He is a very talented player, but sometimes the team dynamics and coaches fail to get the best out of players. Sometimes they change teams and become the players we thought they could be. That’s why we went after him and made an investment in him.

“Players who don’t adapt so well here, but have talent, will move to other places and give us added value. And these gains, little by little, can help us keep the best players. I’m very happy for Fatawu, he’s always behaved very well here.”

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