Inspired by The Athletic’s report that Abdul Fatawu will be making his temporary switch permanent before the end of the season, we asked our writers which Leicester City loan players they’ve fallen for in the past.
David Bevan went back to the early 1990s and an away day that didn’t quite go to plan.
The day I fell for Kevin Campbell has almost vanished from Leicester City’s recorded history, but I know I spent it wandering around a giant aquarium.
I don’t actually remember much about the experience to be fair. I was 5. But with some help, I’ve pieced things together.
Leicester City were absolutely terrible in the season I was first taken to Filbert Street. David Pleat was the manager. We’d won just one of the first 12 league games and had been bottom of the second division, staring down the barrel of relegation to the third tier for the first time in the club’s history.
After 16 games, we were 22nd of 24 – just two points off the foot of the table – ahead of a home game against second-placed Leeds United.
Making his debut, a young striker on loan from Arsenal. Kevin Campbell watched as Leeds raced into a two-goal lead by half time. Leicester fought back to level but a cheeky Gordon Strachan penalty put the visitors back into the lead before the home side turned things around late on, future Leeds midfielder Gary McAllister scoring the winner in front of the segregated Kop.
I’m not entirely sure what my first game was, but I have a vague feeling it was Campbell’s fourth game in blue – a 2-1 win over Hull that lifted us up to the heady heights of 19th. He still hadn’t scored and he didn’t score that day, but he was remarkably prolific in the weeks that followed.
Campbell got off the mark in a 4-2 win at Ewood Park, scored again in a 2-1 win over Bournemouth, twice in a 3-2 win at Portsmouth on New Year’s Day and he was one of many scorers as Leicester lost a thriller by the odd goal in nine at Newcastle.
