There have only been four new players sign for Leicester City at King Power Stadium this summer, which isn’t as many as the other recently promoted teams, Southampton and Ipswich Town.
That doesn’t mean, though, that the Foxes aren’t working to fill the building before the Premier League season begins the following weekend. Among other names, Liverpool’s Fabio Carvalho has been linked to a move to Steve Cooper’s team.
That isn’t the only talent Leicester are looking at from the Reds though, with a deal in the works to try and get this promising Liverpool youngster in through the door to strengthen in attack also.
Leicester battling away to sign teenage gem
As per a new report by the Express, Ben Doak has now been given the green light to depart Arne Slot’s men in search of first-team football, having been in and around the senior mix under the new Dutch boss this pre-season.
Brentford have entered the race for the electric 18-year-old’s services now, knowing he is available for a loan move, with Leicester and Southampton also keen on adding the slick teenager to their respective squads to help in their quests to stay up in the Premier League after promotion.
Instead of only signing Doak, Leicester may add David Datro Fofana, a loan player from a team higher up in their new tier, to their lineup. Rumour has it that the Foxes are in the lead for the Chelsea center-forward on the fringes.
This injection of youth could give Leicester something different ahead of some daunting league matches to come, away from the mainstays of Jamie Vardy and Co, with this potential new attacking duo eager to impress if they do both end up donning a Foxes jersey this campaign to follow.
What Doak can offer alongside Fofana
Fofana was a bright spark last campaign for Burnley, even as relegation loomed large for the Clarets, with four goals and one assist mustered up from 15 clashes, including this long-range bullet soaring in against West Ham United.
He could well give Leicester some much-needed depth up top then away from the aforementioned Vardy and Patson Daka, with the East Midlands club having waved goodbye to Kelechi Iheanacho this summer.
| Ben Doak: Match Stats during pre-season | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Stat | Real Betis | Arsenal | Man United |
| Minutes played | 26 | 18 | 25 |
| Goals | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Assists | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Shots | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Touches | 16 | 8 | 15 |
| Accurate passes | 5/6 | 3/3 | 10/11 |
| Successful dribbles | 2/2 | 0/1 | 0/1 |
| Duels won | 4/6 | 2/5 | 1/5 |
| Stats by Sofascore | |||
With the 18-year-old displaying glimpses of his brilliance this preseason for the Reds, the timing may be ideal for Doak—who journalist Barry Anderson has called a “huge talent”—to expand his wings and go through a formative loan spell, similar to what Fofana did at Turf Moor the previous season after joining Chelsea from Molde.
Among the above table, his cameo against Real Betis stands out in particular because he completed all 100 of his attempted dribbles against the Spanish team and only lost two of the six duels that he registered.
Although it is still unclear whether the 18-year-old can consistently dominate the men’s game aside from the occasional appearance in friendlies or cup competitions, football talent scout Jacek Kulig once called him a “explosive” ace who could succeed at the King Power if given enough time to get used to his new surroundings.
He would, much like Fofana, give sufficient competition to the likes of Stephy Mavididi – who himself is unproven in the top flight – after a fantastic campaign with the Foxes in the Championship saw him fire home 12 strikes.
Cooper will be aware that having depth across the board will significantly help his team overcome the decline, particularly if injuries start to pile up in the last stretch of the demanding 38-game marathon.
Therefore, even if Fofana and Doak sign, they won’t necessarily start every game, but even if Leicester takes their return to the Premier League in stride, they could still be crucial to the team’s survival.
