Patson DakaBelieves that now is the best time to present himself as an alternative to Jamie Vardy. He may be right.
The eight previous seasons were Vardy has been Leicester’s attacking spearhead and poster boyOne of the most powerful English strikers in England, Premier League.
Scoring 24 Premier League goals in the title-winning campaign of 2015-16 wasn’t a flash in the pan. Since then, he’s been Leicester’s top scorer in the Premier League each season, including 15 goals in 25 games last season.
He has proven his endurance every time he was written off. He became the first Leicester player to score 100 Premier League goals, he is third in the club’s all-time record scorers ranking and he is the oldest player, at the age of 33, to have won the Premier League Golden Boot.
His goal was to Wolverhampton WanderersLate week was his first game of the season. But it marked another milestone, as he became only the third Premier League player to score 100 goals in a single season after turning 30. Leicester learned this over the years.
However, the club didn’t know how long he could maintain his high standards and have been planning. They have tried to find potential successors but none have succeeded in replacing him.
Islam Slimani, Shinji Okazaki and Kelechi IheanachoAll were recruited to this role, but have ended up playing second fiddle.
Daka. His debut season was followed by his second. his £23million ($26.7m) move from Red Bull SalzburgThe 24-year-old has taken a greater role in the team’s success. Vardy has been on the bench the last 30 minutes, while he has started three of his four Premier League matches.
Jamie Vardy replacing Daka in last season’s league (Photo: Plumb Images/Leicester City FC via Getty Images).
Vardy has started seven Premier League games this season to Daka’s five, playing 639 minutes to Daka’s 483, but Daka has scored three goals to Vardy’s one. Both have scored 11 goals: Vardy had four, Daka eight.
Vardy is beginning to see Daka as the blunt, attacking instrument Vardy was when he was younger. Rodgers is protecting Vardy to prolong his life expectancy.
“At the stage of his career,” Rodgers said of Vardy after the Wolves win, “it’s about managing his minutes so we get that intensity for him and, more importantly, for the team. He is hungry, regardless of whether he starts and/or comes off the bench.
“He’s not a selfish player, but he wants to score goals. His contribution has always been for the team. He is a great runner, which allows for more space for the other players. So when he’s not scoring, he still has an impact.”
That effect can be seen in the number of assists Vardy has provided: four this season to Daka’s one. Daka believes he is ready for a more prominent role.
“This is now the period when I need to establish myself,” Daka tells The Athletic. “I am taking every day as an opportunity to move a step closer to that.
“I have got a lot of things to learn and develop. With the help of my team-mates, I’m heading there. They are extremely helpful. They made it easier for me to adapt, and people might think it is making things easier. However, the team’s support has been a huge help. It is helping me enormously.”
Daka celebrates his goal against Brighton in September (Photo by Robin Jones via Getty Images).
Daka isn’t just taking on more responsibility on the pitch. Off it, he believes he is a role model, not just to Leicester fans and fellow Zambians, who follow Daka’s progress keenly, but to youngsters around the world.
Daka spoke to children from local schools at King Power Stadium last Wednesday to promote the Say No to Racism campaign during Black History Month. Daka was joined by Leicester City Women’s defender Ashleigh Plumptre, former men’s captain Wes Morgan, American goalkeeper Chituru Odunze, and Iffy Onuora, the Premier League’s head of equality, diversity and inclusion. They shared their stories of racism and set an example for young people from diverse ethnic backgrounds looking for a path.
Daka and Ashleigh Plumptre, Black History Month Event (Photo: Plumb Images via Getty Images).
“I know how much impact I have on society, how many people look up to me and watch to see what I am doing,” Daka says. “Not just here in Leicester or in Zambia, but I would say the whole world.
“It is one of the best leagues in the world and everyone is looking forward to the weekend to watch the Premier League because every game is competitive. You can’t choose because everyone is looking forward to watching every game in the Premier League. This gives you the motivation to take on that responsibility.
“Outside of Zambia, there are people who I have never met, from different countries around the world, who get inspired by me, and it was great to speak to the children.
“I have adapted to life here now. So far, it is going great and I will use this opportunity and platform I have now to make sure I get the message right across the world.”
(Top photo by Stephen White/CameraSport via Getty Images
