Why Ruben Amorim could 'count on' Abdul Fatawu as Everton transfer close
Ruben Amorim thought a lot of Everton's imminent new signing Abdul Fatawu.
Everton have enjoyed a somewhat modest start to their summer transfer business, with three signings completed.
Two of those, Merlin Rohl and Tyrique George, aren't new faces for the Hill Dickinson Stadium faithful to get to know, but the arrival of Hayden Hackney from Middlesbrough is.
However, in Leicester winger Fatawu - who scored nine goals and provided seven assists in the Championship last season - Everton are on the verge of making their fourth addition of the window.
The 22-year-old is an exciting winger who offers some clear long-term potential on Merseyside.
And, upon making his first big move of his career back in 2022, his then-manager Amorim didn't hide his affection or belief in the Ghanaian international either.
What did Ruben Amorim say about Abdul Fatawu at Sporting?
Goodison News has been covering reports from Turkey that Everton have struck an agreement to sign Fatawu from Leicester.
Indeed, he's a player that has been widely linked with a move to the Toffees throughout the summer, but now David Moyes seems as close as ever to landing his services.
Fatawu has only ever made 13 Premier League appearances though, with those coming for Leicester in the 2024-25 season in which the Foxes were relegated.
Aside from that, his experience in English football has been limited to the Championship, where he's without doubt proven himself to be a class above at that level.
Before making the move to these shores though, Fatawu joined Portuguese giants Sporting in April 2022, who prized him away from Ghanaian side Steadfast.
And, as quoted via a report from Ghanasoccernet at the time of that transfer, then-Sporting manager Amorim was sure that Fatawu had all the tools to become a big success in the future.
"We believe a lot in him, he made a small adaptation in the B team, to grow physically and adapt to the life and way of being of the club," Amorim said.
"He needs tactical concepts, it's normal. But he's fast, he shoots from afar and from different areas of the ground. He's a player we can count on and it's only up to him to belong to the A team.
"There were clubs that wanted him, but we have this advantage in the project, they know it's up to them to succeed in the first team."
It didn't quite work out for Fatawu at Sporting, as he made just 12 career first-team appearances and was unable to register a single goal contribution.
But he's enjoyed some brilliant individual seasons with Leicester since joining them in the summer of 2023 (initially on loan), and has absolutely earned his opportunity to carve out a career in the Premier League.
Fatawu has also just arrived back from the World Cup too, but was it a success for him in the Ghanaian side, or did he have a tournament to forget?
Why the odds were always against Fatawu at the World Cup
Ghana found themselves placed in Group L at the World Cup, with Croatia, Panama and England as their opponents.
Sneaking into the knockouts as one of the eight best third-placed sides, Ghana were beaten 1-0 by Colombia in the Round of 32.
Fatawu didn't play a big role for his nation at the tournament either, playing just 129 minutes across Ghana's four games, although he did appear off the bench in all of them.
His problem was that Ghana's strongest department was probably on their wings, as they had the likes of Man City's Antoine Semenyo, Atalanta's Kamaldeen Sulemana and Athletic Club's Inaki Williams respectively to choose from.
As a result, Fatawu was always likely to be buried down the pecking order behind those established stars, all of whom play in one of Europe's top five leagues.
It wasn't a fair reflection of his ability, more of the depth Ghana had in his position, and so Everton fans shouldn't be concerned by his lack of minutes at the World Cup.