Terrible recruitment has been a common theme during Jon Rudkin’s tenure, with the signing of Patson Daka epitomising where Leicester City have gone wrong.
Leicester signed Patson Daka for £25 million from RB Salzburg in 2021. The Zambian arrived as a clinical centre-forward, who netted a whopping 34 goals in 42 matches during the previous campaign.
However, despite arriving with incredible potential, he’s yet to live up to expectations at the King Power Stadium and still finds himself behind the veteran Jamie Vardy.
Daka hasn’t been good enough for the Foxes in 2024/25, and he’s also underperformed across his four years in Leicestershire, becoming somewhat of a flop.
Unfortunately, this has come at a huge cost for Leicester, who have thrown millions down the drain since capturing the 26-year-old.
Patson Daka has cost Leicester City £1.9 million per goal scored
Daka was linked with a transfer out of Leicester in January, and sections of the fanbase may have wished he exited the club.
In 16 appearances this term, mostly from the bench, the Zambian international has scored just once, and that was in Ruud van Nistelrooy’s first game in charge against West Ham.
Since then, it’s all been downhill for the centre-forward, who simply isn’t up to the standard technically to flourish in the top flight.
As a result, Leicester have wasted so much money on the underperforming striker. Including his £25 million transfer fee, the Foxes have also blown £19.5 million on wages, with Daka earning £75,000-per-week.
| How much Daka has cost Leicester City per appearance | How much Daka has cost Leicester per goal |
| 114 appearances | 23 goals |
| £390,350 | £1.9 million |
The above table shows that per appearance, Daka has cost the club £390,350 while per goal the figure stands at £1.9 million.
Considering how little of an impact he’s had on the club and his sizeable transfer fee and wages, the former Salzburg man has been a huge flop.
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Daka should leave Leicester City this summer
Should the inevitable happen, and Leicester suffer relegation to the Championship, Daka should be one of the first out of the door.
| Position | Team | Played MP | Won W | Drawn D | Lost L | For GF | Against GA | Diff GD | Points Pts |
| 17 |  WolvesWolves | 29 | 7 | 5 | 17 | 40 | 58 | -18 | 26 |
| 18 |  IpswichIpswich | 29 | 3 | 8 | 18 | 28 | 62 | -34 | 17 |
| 19 |  LeicesterLeicester | 29 | 4 | 5 | 20 | 25 | 65 | -40 | 17 |
| 20 |  SouthamptonSouthampton | 29 | 2 | 3 | 24 | 21 | 70 | -49 | 9 |
The forward sees his contract expire in the 2026, meaning this could be their final chance to recoup some of the £25m they spent on him.
Everton were linked with Daka in January but since Beto has shown some incredible form recently, a move to Merseyside is unlikely.
The Foxes will just have to hope that a European club takes a chance on him, as Leicester could do without his inflated wages in the Championship once more.