English side Leicester City have completed the signing of Jordan Ayew from Crystal Palace for £5 million plus add-ons on a two-year deal.
Following an ankle surgery that will keep him out of action for several months, Zambian striker Patson Daka sustained an injury that led the Foxes to sign the Ghanaian forward.
With Jamie Vardy not getting any younger, Leicester City was in desperate need of a centre forward that could rotate with the legendary marksman.
Ayew expressed his delight after joining the 2015-16 Premier League winners, stating, “I’m very happy to be here, and I’m proud. I want to thank the club, as they fought hard to bring me here; it happened quickly.”
“As a player, when you hear that the manager wants you, it just makes you want to come and work under him and try to improve,” Jordan confessed after signing for the Foxes.
Daka, a striker for Chipolopolo boys, was anticipated to be a key striker of the Foxes following Kelechi Iheanacho’s departure.
However, his unfortunate ankle injury, coupled with Jamie Vardy’s goalscoring consistency and Jordan Ayew’s arrival, could see him drop down the pecking order.
Will Patson Daka be Leicester City’s third-choice striker after returning from injury?
To start with, Jordan Ayew, 32, is not the most prolific of strikers when it comes to goalscoring. He managed to score only four Premier League goals in 35 appearances for Crystal Palace in the 2023–24 season.
However, his strengths lie in his ability to dribble past defenders, create scoring opportunities, retain possession, and track back to help his defense.
He had more assists (7) than goals (4) in the English Premier League the previous season, which is proof of this.
Meanwhile, Daka is a much more direct, speedy striker with an eye for goal and a penchant for making runs behind the opposition defence. On his day, the Chipolopolo striker is a deadly finisher in front of goal.
He possesses a similar profile to Jamie Vardy, hence Leicester City spending €30 million to sign him from Salzburg in 2021.
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Therefore, Ayew is not just Daka’s replacement in the short term but also a potential strike partner for the Copper Bullets star when he returns from injury.
