Jordan Ayew
Jordan Ayew has already forged a connection with a Leicester City teammate. The 32-year-old joined Steve Cooper ’s side on Friday and made his Foxes debut in the defeat at Craven Cottage against Fulham the next day – he replaced Bobby De Cordova Reid on the 63-minute mark. In his first interview as a City player , he described his already existing partnership with Abdul Fatawu who also penned a permanent deal at the King Power earlier in the summer after a successful loan spell during the Championship winning campaign last season. The pair, despite being 12 years apart in age, have struck up a good relationship after playing alongside each other for Ghana. The former Crystal Palace man described his desire to ‘help’ the winger,
Jordan Ayew said “I’m really happy for him because he has done really well since he first came in and I’m really proud of him. Obviously, he’s young and he has more years ahead of him, but I’m here to help not only him [Fatawu] but everyone. We have experience and we need to help the younger ones, but I expect them to help me as well; it’s teamwork. As a player, when you come into a new club, you want to settle down and make sure that everyone is happy. You have to prove yourself, you always do, and that’s something I’m keen on doing. I’m humbled and I want to just make sure that I perform and everyone has a great season and help whoever I have to help to perform.”
As ever, with any player making the step up to the top flight there will be initial question marks. Last season, Fatawu was a standout for Enzo Maresca – registering 13 assists and six goals. He showed a glimpse of his ability in the 1-1 draw against Spurs on the season’s first game week; his lofted cross found the head of Jamie Vardy who made no mistake. For Leicester, Ayew’s experience could go a long way to ensuring Cooper ’s side’s survival in what looks to be a challenging campaign for the Foxes. The 32-year-old has experienced most things the game has to offer during his nine-year spell in the Premier League with four different clubs – Aston Villa, Swansea City, Crystal Palace, and now Leicester – with an impressive appearance record averaging nearly 35 Premier League games per season over the last five years. Ayew’s introduction will add know-how to a side lacking in experience with a mean squad age of under 26.
