Leicester City have experienced the highs and lows of operating in the transfer market, with one player now showcasing his quality after struggling at the King Power Stadium.
The squad that helped Leicester win the Championship title had many heroes, as they played some wonderful football under Enzo Maresca.
Academy graduate Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, who left to join Chelsea in the summer, was an unstoppable force in midfield while striker Jamie Vardy rediscovered his scoring touch.
Several signings also impressed after arriving in 2023, most notably goalkeeper Mads Hermansen, who is now flourishing as a Premier League shot-stopper.
While many starred on the way to promotion, there was one signing who joined on loan and didn’t have the impact Maresca anticipated.
Yunus Akgun struggled on loan at Leicester City in the Championship
Leicester captured Turkish attacking midfielder Yunus Akgun on loan from Galatasaray in the summer of 2023.
The 14-cap international arrived as an option capable of playing anywhere across the front, flourishing on either wing or as an attacking midfielder in the Turkish Super Lig.
Sadly, the 24-year-old struggled for regular minutes at the King Power Stadium as Maresca preferred Abdul Fatawu and Stephy Mavididi on the wings with Dewsbury-Hall as an advanced playmaker.
Maresca also said Akgun struggled physically in the Championship, urging him to adjust to the demands required in English football.
“Yunus is struggling a little bit with the rhythm, probably because he said in Turkey the rhythm is a little bit low. Here it’s more quick, the pace of the game,” the Italian said.
“He is struggling. He’s had a muscle problem, now it’s better. I like Yunus, I would like to give him more minutes, but he needs to adjust and understand how English football is, that it’s more physical.”
Maresca wanted more from the Turkish international in the second half of the season but he ultimately didn’t improve, with Akgun only starting nine times in the Championship.
A lack of physicality and inconsistency plagued Akgun in English football however, since returning to Galatasaray, he’s lighting up the Europa League
Yunus Akgun is the Europa League’s joint-top scorer
Some players just can’t get to grips with the physical demands in England, and that was the case with Akgun.
Fortunately, he hasn’t let his struggles in a Leicester shirt hold him back, with the attacking midfielder now starring for the Turkish giants domestically and in Europe
Including a rocket of a strike against Tottenham, Akgun is the Europa League’s joint-top scorer – currently level with Manchester United striker Rasmus Hojlund on five goals apiece.
In all competitions, the 2000-born star has an impressive nine goals and four assists in just 21 appearances, with the midfielder finding his feet in European football since returning to Turkey.
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