Leicester City Unveil Third Summer Signing in £13m Deal
Caleb Okoli has signed a five-year contract with King Power Stadium after joining from Atalanta and is poised to be a starter in Steve Cooper's preferred formation.
Leicester City has completed their third signing of the summer with the acquisition of defender Caleb Okoli from Atalanta for £13m. The Italian centre-back has signed a five-year contract at the King Power Stadium, joining Bobby De Cordova-Reid and Michael Golding in Steve Cooper’s squad.
Okoli’s transfer is the club’s most significant deal of the summer so far, and he is expected to be a starter under Cooper. The new manager is likely to implement a three-at-the-back system, with Okoli potentially occupying the left-hand side, a role he occasionally played during his loan spell at Frosinone last season.
Despite Frosinone’s relegation, Okoli enhanced his reputation as a strong and aggressive defender, adding muscle and speed to City’s backline. This will be crucial as the club faces more challenging attacks than they did in the Championship.
Okoli progressed through the ranks at Atalanta, spending time on loan at SPAL and Cremonese in Serie B before breaking into the first team. He started the 22-23 season in Atalanta’s starting lineup as they competed at the top of Serie A but found himself on the bench for much of the second half of the campaign.
Seeking more game time, the former Italy Under-21 international moved to newly-promoted Frosinone on loan last season, starting 32 of their 38 league matches. Despite being one of the youngest squads in Europe, Frosinone fought valiantly before being relegated on the last day.
Okoli typically played as the left centre-back in a back four and maintained this position when the team switched to a back three. This could be his role in Cooper’s side, alongside Jannik Vestergaard and Wout Faes. However, City has a wealth of defensive options, including Conor Coady, Ben Nelson, and Harry Souttar.
