Who Is Abdul Fatawu

Abdul Fatawu Issahaku is a Ghanaian professional footballer who plays in the Premier League for Leicester City. The youngster is tipped to light up the Premier League like his countryman, West Ham’s Mohammed Kudus.

Early Life

Born on the 8th of March 2004, Abdul Fatawu grew up in the city of Tamale, Ghana to a Muslim family. His dad Iddrissu Issahaku and his mum, Hajia Maria Issahaku were surprisingly supportive of his footballing career— most Ghanaian and West African parents at large see football as a distraction from formal education, an example of this is Liverpool’s legend Sadio Mane who had to run away from home to become a pro footballer. Having a supportive family is perhaps an important factor that helped Abdul move from an obscure suburban city in West Africa to the best league competition in the world as far as club football is concerned.

Club Career

Abdul Fatawu’s career growth is one for the movies: from a lower-ranked division club in Ghana to a top Premier Club.

At just 15 years old, Fatawu began his football journey in 2019 with Steadfast FC, a Tamale-based team competing in Ghana’s Division One League. He quickly emerged as a standout talent, scoring eight goals and providing five assists in 13 games during his debut season, which was cut short due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

In his second season, Fatawu’s impressive form continued as he recorded 12 goals and 12 assists in 14 league matches, earning eight Man of the Match awards. Following his success at the 2021 Africa U-20 Cup of Nations, he attracted interest from top European clubs, including Liverpool, Bayer Leverkusen, and Sporting CP.

In October 2021, Fatawu joined Dreams FC on loan and was recognized in The Guardian’s “Next Generation 2021” list, where he was described as “arguably the best African prospect of his generation”.

In April 2022, Fatawu signed a five-year deal with Sporting CP, including a €60 million release clause, putting an end to speculation about potential transfers to other clubs, including Liverpool. Before officially signing, Fatawu joined Sporting in February, training with the U-23 side, as he couldn’t be registered for the first team until the 2022–23 season. During this period, he trained with the B team while awaiting eligibility for professional matches.

Ahead of the 2022–23 season, Fatawu was included in Sporting CP’s first-team squad for pre-season training and featured in a friendly match against Belgian club Royale Union. On August 7, 2022, he was named on the bench for Sporting’s season opener and made his official debut a week later, substituting Francisco Trincão in the 80th minute of a 3–0 win over Rio Ave.

Fatawu joined then Championship side Leicester on a season-long loan in August 2023. He had a decent performance with the Foxes, scoring a hattrick — his first one as a Professional footballer against promotion rivals Southampton. There was a clause in his contract with Leicester that mandated them to sign him on a permanent deal upon promotion for €17 million.

In July 2024 Abdul penned down a 5-year contract with Leicester, he was also given the No.7 jersey. Abdul hasn’t lit up the Premier League as he would have wanted— he has only one assist thus far but there is still time for him to make his mark.

International Career

Abdul was part of Ghana’s Under-17 team that reached the finals of the WAFU Cup but ended up losing against rivals Nigeria via a penalty shootout. He was promoted to the under-20s at the young age of 16, making the squad for the Africa U-20 Cup of Nations. He helped his country to victory in the tournament — playing every game and scoring a couple of goals earning him the player of the tournament.

In March 2021, he was called up to the senior team— though considerably young, his incredible performance with the junior team was not ignored by the then Ghana National Team Coach, C.K Akonnor. He made the squad for the Africa Cup of Nations 2021.

Achievements

Club Achievements:

EFL Championship Title: During the 2023–2024 season, while on loan from Sporting CP, Abdul Fatawu played a pivotal role in Leicester City’s success, contributing 6 goals and 13 assists in 40 appearances, which were instrumental in the club’s promotion to the Premier League.

Africa U-20 Cup of Nations Champion: In 2021, Abdul Fatawu was integral to Ghana’s U-20 national team, leading them to victory in the tournament.

Africa U-20 Cup of Nations Best Player: His exceptional performance in the 2021 tournament earned him the Best Player award.

U-20 Cup of Nations Best XI:Abdul Fatawu’s outstanding play secured him a spot in the tournament’s Best XI in 2021.

Odartey Lamptey Future Star Award: In 2021, he received this award, recognizing his potential and talent.

Discovery of the Year: The Sports Writers Association of Ghana honored him with this award in 2021.

Ghana Premier League Player of the Month: Abdul Fatawu was named Player of the Month in November 2021.

City Men’s Young Player of the Season: His impressive contributions during the 2023–2024 season earned him this accolade.

Net Worth

Abdul Fatawu Issahaku, has an estimated net worth of approximately $1 million as of 2024.

In July 2024, he transferred from Sporting CP to Leicester City for a fee of $17 million.

current market value is estimated at €13 million.

Social media handles

Instagram: @issahakufatawu10

Facebook: Issahaku Abdul Fatawu

X (formerly Twitter): @AbdulFatawuI10

Frequently Asked Questions

Career Stats

Abdul Fatawu has 2 assists from 11 games played so far in the Premier League. His best return tally was in the 2023/2024 Championship season where he scored 6 times with 13 assists.

Abdul Fatawu Salary

Abdul earns £10,00 weekly and £520,000 yearly on average.

Abdul Fatawu Transfermarkt:

You can get info on Abdul Fatawu from Transfermarkt here

Abdul Fatawu Injury:

Fatawu has been ruled out for the rest of the season after picking up a “serious knee injury”— an ACL this was disclosed by his manager, Steve Cooper during a press conference. It was said that got injured during the international break in a game against Angola. This is a massive blow for the youngster as he was about settling to life in the Premier League, our thoughts and best wishes are with him.

Source: footygazette.com