Patson Daka’s rare ability in front of goal has supercharged his journey to the top of European football but the 2023/2024 season has presented the first test of the Zambian’s patience after being left out of Leicester City’s squad for the majority of the club’s Championship campaign.
For many observers, it has been a curious decision by Foxes boss Enzo Maresca given that the striker has found the back of the net with regularity ever since finding his feet on the dusty pitches of Zambia.
Humble beginnings to the King Power
The 25-year-old did, of course, cut his teeth with Kafue Celtic and it was soon evident from the formative years of Daka’s time with the club in the Lusaka Province that he was a natural goalscorer. Daka’s development was so ahead of schedule that the young forward was soon off to Europe in 2017 despite being courted by a host of top clubs in Zambia. In particular, Power Dynamos were desperate to sign the player after a successful loan spell.
Looking back, it is a tale of what might have been for Power Dynamos who today, find themselves short of goals which is hurting their league title defence.
Despite languishing in sixth, any fans betting on the Zambia Super League can still back Power Dynamos to win the title courtesy of bookmakers such as bet365 Zambia, 1xBet Zambia, and Betway Zambia which are all offering welcome bonuses to new players. Indeed, players can, in some instances, claim up to £30 in bet credits to be used on any market in the Zambia Super League.
If Power 90 are to go back to back then they will need to do it without an expert marksman such as Daka who is just beginning to make his mark in England’s second tier after netting his first Championship goal of the season against Plymouth Argyle in only his second appearance this campaign.
This moment had been a long time coming but injuries to Kelechi Iheanacho and Jamie Vardy finally opened the door for Daka who grabbed his opportunity with both hands against the the Pilgrims.
However, with Daka set to link up with the Zambian national team at the start of January in preparation for Chipolopolo’s opening game of the African Cup of Nations against the Democratic Republic of the Congo, could this long-awaited run in the Foxes XI end up being short-lived?
For club and country
The reality is that it may well be but the silver lining is that Iheanacho will also be reporting for international duty with Nigeria at the same time, leaving only the aging Vardy to lead the line as the Foxes chase promotion back to the Premier League.
With Vardy turning 37 on the 11th of January, there are justified concerns about the Englishman’s ability to play in consecutive games in a league as robust as the Championship.
What this essentially means is that the number nine shirt may be up for grabs again when Daka gets back from AFCON duty. It all depends on how far both Zambia and Nigeria progress at the 2024 event and which striker returns first to the King Power Stadium.
From a Zambian point of view, the hope is that Iheanacho will arrive back in the East Midlands first as this will hopefully mean Chipolopolo enjoy a long cup run in the Ivory Coast.
Should that happen then Daka will have to come to terms with going back to being a third-choice forward in Maresca’s team which only has space for one out-and-out striker. They say good things come to those who wait and that blessings often come in disguise – only time will tell whether that is true for Daka.
