Disclaimer: This is a strictly data and stat-led transfer suggestion article. I do not claim to have watched every single player play.
Leicester City's Season So Far
Having consecutively finished 5th in 2019/20 and 2020/21, Leicester fans probably braced themselves for another season with similar results - one of development of the youngsters they already had at their disposal, and the integration of new exciting recruits.
Patson Daka from RB Salzburg and Boubakary Soumaré from Lille were seen as shrewd signings , as the former was seen as a player capable of taking over the mantle which will be vacated soon by club legend Jamie Vardy, while the latter as someone who can play alongside Wilfred Ndidi and also as cover for the same.
The season hasn't gone as planned, however. As February comes to an end, Leicester City find themselves 13th in the league - behind the likes of Southampton and Crystal Palace. As a club which was starting to get accustomed to regular European Football and whose manager was linked to the Manchester United job, this was not where the Foxes would have expected to find themselves as we enter the final third of the season.
Who's To Blame?
A lot of people blamed Brendan Rodgers for 'bottling it' in the past two seasons, as Leicester sat in the UCL places in the league only to let a lead slip towards the end of the season. This season too, a lot of fingers are being pointed at Rodgers as Leicester have fallen to a low which was simply not expected of them.
While this is true to some extent, and Rodgers could have rightly made some changes, it cannot be understated how badly the Foxes have been hit by injuries over the past three seasons. Just this season, they have had Jamie Vardy, Ricardo Pereira, Johny Evans, Harvey Barnes and Luke Thomas (amongst others) all unavailable for a significant amount of games. Wesley Fofana & James Justin, arguably their best youngsters, have faced long-term injuries and have been available for the majority of the 2021/22 season. This trend was also true for the last two seasons, where they lost the likes of Wilfred Ndidi, along with the others mentioned, to significant injuries. This means Rodgers has had to set up for the majority of the season with effectively an arm behind his back, never being able to field his first-choice eleven on the pitch for a consistent run of games.
This has been the primary reason why Leicester have failed to compete for the European places this season. An eleven consisting of Pereira, Fofana, Evans, Ndidi, Barnes & Vardy being fully fit and in-form would be able to give any team a fight in this league. To aid this, I have come up with a few transfer suggestions to plug the holes in this team while also being good enough to replace some players.
The positions I have identified where Leicester City need to strengthen more than others are Centreback, Midfielder, and a Right-Winger. However, here are a few assumptions before we start looking at some targets -
With Ricardo Pereira recently signing a new contract, and the likes of Justin and Thomas being available, the fullback position is something I feel they can deal with, given a little bit of luck. Pereira was a defensive and progression monster in 2019/20, and was contributing to ~9 progressive carries and ~6 progressive passes per 90. This, while also putting up ~6 tackles plus interceptions per 90 that season. If Leicester can get him up and running to anywhere close to that form, they will be so much better in the first and second phase of their play. One of Justin, Castagne or Thomas can then eye the left-back position and try to make their own.
Kasper Schmeichel is the club captain now, and while he does need replacing (his save % is below 70 right now and I would highly support finding an alternative to him) I suspect it might not happen this summer as they might prioritize other positions.
With that out of the way, let's dive into the crux of the article.
Centreback
In the absence of Johny Evans and Wesley Fofana, Çağlar Söyüncü has been an absolute shadow of the player he was in 2019/20, when he was voted into the PFA Team of the Year. He has missed having a calm head next to him and has had some genuine brain-fart moments, like this one against West Ham towards the start of the season -Video Credit: West Ham United Youtube Channel
The foxes have had to play the likes of Ndidi and Amartey alongside him, neither of whom are actual centrebacks, such has been the luck for the Foxes. Jannik Vestergaard's £15.84m move from Southampton has not panned out as expected either. This means Rodgers could do with a centreback who can play alongside Wesley Fofana or Çağlar Söyüncü.
Here are two players I feel could do well for them:
1. William Saliba
Sometimes managers take a disliking to a player, and no matter how good that player is, the manager just doesn't fancy him for one reason or another. Be it Guardiola and Zlatan, Jose and Pogba, or Arteta and young French centreback William Saliba. First impressing at Saint-Étienne alongside *drumroll please* Wesley Fofana, Arsenal snapped up the highly coveted youngster in the summer of 2019. Arsenal loaned him back to Saint-Étienne for the 2019/20 season, and have again loaned him to OGC Nice, and then once more this season where he's currently donning #2 for Marseille.Excellent at ball progression, the only thing the youngster is lacking at is probably competing for and winning aerial duels. This season, he is winning just 1.44 aerial challenges per 90 at a 55.4% success rate. For reference, Wesley Fofana was winning 3.75 aerial challenges per 90 at an almost 63% success rate.
Standing tall at 6'3½'' however, the youngster can certainly improve in this department which would make him a truly scary prospect.
Currently valued at under £22m, Leicester City can get him for a bargain price near that estimated value if Arteta doesn't fancy the Frenchman. Having not suffered any major injuries since January 2020, he would be an excellent addition to the Foxes squad and would form an instant connection with Fofana.
2. Benoît Badiashile
Yeah, no surprises that my next pick is another one from the seemingly endless conveyer belt of centrebacks being produced in France. Whilst he is not as proficient a ball progressor as Saliba, he is completing more tackles and interceptions per 90 than the latter (although that is also very system and role influenced). Badiashile wins almost 2 aerial duals per 90 at a 65% win rate.
The 20-year-old also brings another quality that is currently absent in the Leicester City team - a left-footed centreback. Valued at £25.20m by Transfermarkt, this deal might cost the Foxes somewhere around £30m, given his contract expires in the summer of 2024. However, if Leicester can prove to him that they would be a viable and efficient stepping-stone in his career, they might just be able to land him.
Here's a look at how both the options compare to their peers this season -
Central Midfielder
Ndidi, Tielemans, and Maddison is a very good midfield in theory. It has an excellent combination of world-class defensive ability in Wilfred Ndidi, good ball progression in Youri Tielemans, and flair and creativity in James Maddison. However, because of Leicester's lack of quality depth at centreback, Ndidi has had to fill in that position. This has meant that Tielemans has had to play deeper, limiting his ability to progress the ball and create chances in the final third. One of his standout performances was when Leicester hosted Manchester United at the King Power stadium, and Tielemans scored this beauty of a goal -
Video Credit: Leicester City Youtube Channel
With the Belgian's contract set to expire in the summer of 2023, this might be the last opportunity for the Foxes to get a fee for him that is even close to his valuation of £50m.
Ndidi is the starting defensive midfielder for Leicester, and he is a destroyer and doesn't really progress the ball at all. With Maddison, hopefully a fit Pereira, Barnes and (spoiler) perhaps a new right-winger to contribute to chance creation, what Leicester would miss the most when they lose the Belgian is his ability to progress the ball. Hence I went about looking for midfielders who can primarily progress the ball but who also pulls his weight defensively. Here are my suggestions:
1. Maxime Lopez
The diminutive Sassuolo midfielder has started to get into the spotlight for clubs across Europe as the ' Neroverdi' are starting to gain a reputation of developing some of the best youngsters in Italy. When Manuel Locatelli moved to Juventus last summer, there was a gaping hole in their midfield, similar to what the Foxes might see soon, in the form of a player who can progress the ball into the opponent's territory. To say Maxime Lopez has filled that role, is putting it lightly. Lopez is currently putting up over 6 progressive passes and carries EACH this season, which puts him around the 90th percentile for both metrics. He doesn't put up eye-catching defensive numbers, but in a team that ranks 4th in the Serie A for possession, can certainly contribute to it. With Ndidi next to him, it may not even be that much of an issue. The 24-year-old also puts up 2.5 shot creating actions per 90, meaning he can also create for the forwards.
If Leicester can keep the 'English' bias of strong, physical & combative midfielders out of their systems, Lopez might be an excellent option. His contract however runs until 2025, but with Sassuolo currently 10th in the league and him being valued at just £10.80m by Transfermarkt, Leicester might just be able to get price him away
2. Florian Grillitsch
If you thought 'yeah, Lopez is good, but that contract is too lenghty', this suggestion may be more up your alley. Grillitsch's contract expires this summer, which means Leicester can get him for free and can use the Tielemans money elsewhere.
The Austrian is, keeping with the theme, an excellent progress of the ball through both carrying and passing, putting up over 6 of each per 90. What he has over Lopez, is his superior defensive ability. Having played at centrebacks at times this season (we know Leicester like a midfielder-cum-centrback), Grillitsch is putting up excellent defensive numbers as well. This means he can form a formidable midfield screen in front of the defence with the Nigerian and can play alongside Soumaré if Ndidi is injured.
Grillitsch is in his prime right now at 26 years old and for someone who is being looked at by other clubs competing for European football, Leicester might be able to offer him good wages and a compelling project.
3. Nicolás Domínguez
If they cannot get Lopez from Sassuolo and Grillitsch joins another team, Domínguez might be an interesting if non-glamorous option. He is not as good a progressive passer or carrier as the earlier two options, but is putting up good pressure and defensive numbers. At 24, he would be entering his prime soon and can perhaps even be improved.
The Argentine is valued at just £11.70m by Transfermarkt, which means Leicester can probably get him for somewhere under £20m. However, let this just be a emergency option.
Here's how my suggestions compare to their peers -
Ever since Leicester lost Riyad Mahrez, the struggle to find a right winger of similar quality has been weighing heavy on their shoulders. They thought replacing him with another Algerian winger might work, so they signed Rachid Ghezzal from Monaco. When that didn't go as planned, they splurged £30m on Newcastle forward Ayoze Pérez. Then came Cengiz Ünder, and this season it is RB Leipzig loanee Ademola Lookman.
The Englishman has played ~12 90s so far this season, scoring 4 goals. He's a good dribbler, and showed a lot of promise while he was at Everton. Now 24 and about to enter his peak, its fair to say he hasn't fulfilled his potential, at least just yet. With Maddison's form faultering and the fullback injuries they have had to deal with, what Leicester have lacked is a player who can consistently progress the ball and add much needed creativity to the attack.
Here are my suggestions:
Another player from Sassuolo, Berardi seems to be that player who everyone knows is good, is constantly linked to top clubs, but never seems to get his move. He has been linked to Manchester United, Atalanta and Chelsea amongst others, but still finds himself playing in Italy this season. 27 and already in his prime, this should be the time to snap him up.
With that age combined with a £31.50m evaluation, big clubs might opt to steer clear of him and focus on younger targets like Ajax's Antony or Leeds United's Raphinha, Leicester should swoop in for the Italian winger. They can offer him much better wages than any of the Italian clubs bar Juventus and can may be entice him to play in the Premier League.
Berardi is an excellent progressive passer and chance creator, ranking 4th in the Serie A for progressive passes, 6th for passes into the penalty area, and 3rd for key passes.
With his contract set to expire in 2024, Leicester may need to cough up upwards of £35m to land the Italian. But given his numbers, I back him to justify that price tag and finally nail down the right wing position for the Foxes.
This is quite a reach-y suggestion, given he moved to Crystal Palace from Reading only in the summer of 2021, but as the season has gone by, Olise has started to find his groove in the Premier League. The 20 year old completes almost 2 dribbles per 90, but what is truly exceptional about him is that he ranks in the top 4 and top 2 percent of players for progressive passing and carrying respectively across Europe's top 5 leagues. The South London boy has scored 2 goals and assisted 5 so far, and while he is overperforming on his assists numbers, he is creating ~3 shots per 90 and is still nowhere near his peak years.
Pricing him away from Palace is going to be an expensive option, as the Foxes may have to spend upwards of £25m. Nonetheless, what they will add to their squad is a very exciting, homegrown player with a huge potential.
3. Takefusa Kubo
Takefusa Kubo is my outside shout for the right wing problem at Leicester City. The former Barcelona and current Real Madrid youngster is currently on loan at 16th place RCD Mallorca in La Liga. The loans, especially this season, haven't worked out as well as the Los Blancos would have hoped for. The Japanese has scored just one goal and has 0 assists this season, however his underlying numbers suggest he should have had two of each. When he was on loan at Mallorca in 2019/20, he contributed to 4 goals and 4 assists which was his best season individually.
What Kubo is, is a good dribbler and a very good chance creator, as he is completing over 2 dribbles per 90 at a 60% rate, is creating over 4 shots per 90, and making over 2 key passes per 90 this season. The diminutive forward is also more of a ball carrier than a passer, using his deft touches and close control to go past players twice his size. His size may definitely be seen as an issue in the Premier League, but similar to Maxime Lopez, if Leicester City can look past that and feel like it's worth taking a punt on Kubo, they might be able to snap him up for around £12m.
Here's how the suggestions compare to their peers across Europe -
So that's that. Here is what the Leicester City lineup would look like with my preferred signings (and alternate options in grey) -
Leicester City are one of the best run clubs in England and have become a neutral fan's favorite. After the Premier League winning season of 2015/16, they have made shrewd and sensible signings (for the most part) and have been an exemplary advertisement for how any club should build their team to be a top half finisher in the league.
While this season may not live up to the expectations of the Foxes fans, I really hope they can make some good signings this summer and are back to challenging for the European spots next season.
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Please feel free to share feedback, it will be really appreciated. Let me know which team you would like to see this for next!
References:
fbref.com
whoscored.com
transfermarkt.co.uk
chosen11.com
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