The last two seasons for Leicester City have been dreadful. Ever since Kiernan Dewsbury Hall left, the Foxes have failed to fill the void in the number 10 role. Bobby De Cordova Reid, Facundo Buonanotte and Bilal El Khannouss have all featured in the role, but couldn’t match the output. In addition to this, only Reid remains at the club, which has led to a real lack of game-changers in the squad. Despite this, Leicester have filled the gap and brought in a versatile talent who quickly caught the eye of Pep Guardiola.
Leicester Complete Loan Deal For Manchester City ‘Wonderkid’
Divine Mukasa Completes Move
As reported by Fabrizio Romano, Divine Mukasa is a Leicester City player. The 18-year-old penned a new deal with the Cityzens ahead of the loan move to the East Midlands. Mukasa has already featured six times for Manchester City’s first team this season, with two assists along the way. This was also alongside his role as captain for the under-19s in the prestigious UEFA Youth League, and his games for their under-21s.
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A player who can get supporters off their seats is exactly what City need at the moment, especially given the constant frustration at the King Power. Although he only turned 18 back in August, Mukasa is incredibly adaptable and hopes to seamlessly fit into the Leicester squad. Academy coach Ben Wilkinson even noted this when discussing the teenager’s talent with the Manchester Evening News. He said: “Obviously, when people arrive from different clubs at his age, there’s usually an adaptation period, but his has probably been as quick as I’ve seen.”
Although Mukasa is catching the headlines in Manchester, he actually developed through the illustrious West Ham academy. This was before swapping the Hammers for the then treble winners in the summer of 2023. Since then, he has flourished and tallied spectacular numbers. Last season, he found the net on 17 occasions for Man City’s various youth sides, whilst also adding 25 assists. With stats like this, there’s no surprise Guardiola rates him so highly.
How Does This Affect Leicester?
Bringing in a player so highly rated from one of the biggest clubs in world football is always going to be a positive move. Not to mention the versatility that Mukasa offers, alongside his quality on the ball. Although the Englishman is naturally a playmaker, Guardiola has also utilised him as a false nine. Following his performance against Huddersfield Town, the Spaniard said: “Divine is top, top. He has a sense of touch, quality with the ball, and he fought a lot. He played really good.”
This is something that would certainly stand out for Leicester supporters, as both Patson Daka and Jordan Ayew have continuously struggled this season. Adding someone comfortable with dropping in and bringing others into play could be pivotal under the next manager.
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Outside of linking play, Mukasa is also deadly in front of the goal. A hat-trick against Bayern Leverkusen in the UEFA Youth League perhaps best conveys this, as he found the net in several different ways. He can cut inside and utilise his excellent left foot, make runs in between the centre-backs, whilst also making use of his athleticism and physicality. It’s fair to say this could be a game-changing signing, although it’s important to remember that it’s his first real experience of the pressure of men’s football, especially in a team in such turmoil. If Mukasa can perform excellently this season in such a struggling side, there’s no reason why he can’t make the step up to consistently playing for Manchester City.
