Leicester City have signed Brazilian winger Tete on a season-long loan from Ukrainian club Shakhtar Donetsk.
Following the suspension of his contract with Shakhtar, the 22-year-old had been on loan at French club Lyon since March 2022.
Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the world governing body Fifa ruled that foreign players in the country could suspend their contracts until 30 June 2023.
The forward is “currently scheduled to return to Shakhtar on July 1,” according to Leicester.
Tete, who appeared in 30 games for Lyon and contributed eight goals and ten assists, is under contract with Shakhtar until the end of 2023.
“I’m really happy to be here,” Tete said upon entering the King Power Stadium.
“I’ve had a look at the pitch and the stadium, it’s beautiful and I can already imagine what it’ll be like with a lot of fans.
“I hope to score a lot of goals and assists. I hope they all enjoy seeing me play; I’m proud to be a Fox.”
Leicester City are 14th in the Premier League, but they are only one point above the drop zone.
‘Tete brings flair, threat, and goals.’ – examination
Tete is Leicester City’s second January signing. The contract is only for six months, and there is a complicated reason for this.
He was able to sign for Lyon until the end of the season due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Leicester have effectively bought him out of that contract, but he is still under contract with Shakhtar Donetsk until December 31st of this year.
This means that if the Foxes want to sign their first Brazilian player on a permanent basis, they will have to renegotiate his contract again in the summer.
Alternatively, they could sign him on a pre-contract agreement for free in the summer, but he would only be able to join after his Shakhtar contract expired on December 31.
He will provide much-needed flair, threat, and goals to the Foxes’ forward line as they prepare for a relegation battle.
Most importantly, he will be able to play on the right wing, allowing playmaker James Maddison to return to the midfield. That could be crucial for Leicester’s rest of the season.