Chipolopolo coach, Avram Grant revealed on Friday that he delivered a message to Leicester City FC manager Brendan Rodgers during a visit to the club’s training center in Seagrave, north Leicestershire where he went to watch Patson Daka.
Grant told journalists at the Football House in Lusaka that he spoke with Rodgers, who was his reserve coach at Premier League club, Chelsea FC about Daka.
“I went to Leicester to watch Patson Daka train, I don’t know if you know,” he said. “What I saw is that he was really training hard and fighting.”
“I watched all his training and by the way, his coach was my reserve coach when I was in Chelsea and I spoke to him about Daka.”
When asked about Daka’s goal drought in the Premier League, Grant said it’s not easy but was confident that the Zambian international will regain his scoring form.
“It’s not easy, every Premier League club has top players. When I was at Chelsea we had five strikers and each one of them was top. The competition is very high that’s why I went to see his training and he is doing very well. He is fighting hard and will score more goals in the Premier League.”
Grant and Rodgers’ discussion over Daka
Grant believes that training at a Premier League club is more difficult than playing games in some other countries.
He said Daka is still one of the quality players that he will need for the back-to-back Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers against Lesotho after watching him in training.
“I was not surprised that he scored [against Chelsea] because he was fighting in the training and I am sure he will score more goals in the Premier League.”
“The training in the Premier League is tougher than some games in some other countries. Daka is training hard that’s why I called him to the national team. “
The Gaffer also got assurance from Rodgers that the 2017 African Young Player of the year award winner was still key to Leicester City’s Premier League campaign this season.
Daka scored his fourth Premier League goal of the season in week 26 against Chelsea as the Foxes lost 3-1 in a game that he started for the first time in 2023.
This came a week later after Grant visited him and had a word with Rodgers over his development.
Since his move to Leicester City, the Zambian forward has struggled to replicate his goal-scoring form at FC Red Bull Salzburg, where he scored 68 goals in 125 games.
Daka has scored 15 goals in 63 appearances across all competitions since joining the Foxes.
This season he has four goals and three assists in 24 Premier League appearances.
After featuring for the Foxes last Saturday against Brentford, Daka is now expected to join the Chipolopolo camp on Monday.
RELATED STORY: Grant names final Chipolopolo squad for 2023 AFCON qualifier clash with Lesotho
Zambia is second in Group H with 3 points below leaders Ivory Coast, who top the standings with 4 points. Comoros is third but level on points with Zambia while Lesotho is at rock bottom with just a point.
The Chipolopolo will host Lesotho on March 23, 2023, at the Levy Mwanawansa stadium in Ndola.
