FLW trio of potential Foxes transfer deals in the January window
Leicester City have stated their intentions over the shortest of stays in the Championship after starting this season in near-perfect fashion under Enzo Maresca.
In all competitions, The Foxes have only tasted defeat to Hull City and Liverpool and are ten points ahead of the play-off places after just eleven matches and are on course for an immediate return to the Premier League.
Whilst it may not entirely be unexpected given the strength-in-depth that Pep Guardiola’s former assistant can call upon in tight matches, which they have more than often come out on top, a lot of credit must be given to the squad for adapting to his philosophy in such a short period of time.
However, not everybody has quite had the impact they would have perhaps envisaged, and with just 12 weeks to go until the opening of the January transfer window, FLW looks at three potential transfers involving Leicester in January…
Patson Daka
One man who is still at the club following a failed Deadline Day departure is Zambian striker Patson Daka, and it would not be a surprise to see him depart in the upcoming transfer window.
Maresca stated that the forward would be considered for selection after his respective deals to both AC Milan and AFC Bournemouth fell through.
“He’s a quick player, he can attack in behind, run in behind. He can also link in the way we want to play. He’s a complete player for us. If we need him, we’re going to use him.” The Italian said via the Leicester Mercury prior to the 4-1 victory over Southampton on September 15th.
However, Daka has played just 26 minutes of football this campaign as Jamie Vardy and Kelechi Iheanacho have both hit strong veins of form.Given his individual ability and wage costs, it would make a lot of sense for both parties to part ways if this is to continue in the coming weeks, regardless of whether it is a loan or permanent transfer.
Wilfred Ndidi
Similarly to Daka, one man who was subject to a plethora of rumours across the summer window but has been a key cog in Maresca’s midfield has been the Nigerian, Wilfred Ndidi.
Ndidi has gone about Leicester’s return to the second tier in the most professional way, scoring three times in all competitions, as well as registering three assists so far in the league.
The powerful midfielder was linked with the likes of Nottingham Forest, Celtic and Bayern Munich across the summer, but nothing came to fruition.
He does have less than a year to run on his current contract, and with recent reports stating the Foxes value the Nigerian at £20m, this could present the club with their final option to recoup some of the £15m fee they paid KRC Genk back in 2017.
Sammie Szmodics
This could be a wild shout given his side’s current position in the league and the calibre of players in Leicester’s midfield, but one trick Burnley tried last season was to weaken Championship opposition by signing their key players such as Michael Obafemi from Swansea.
Whilst Sammie Szmodics isn’t the same profile as Ndidi, and at 28, may not be the exact profile of midfielder Maresca has targeted, he could perhaps be on their radar as a short-term replacement given his recent numbers.
As well as scoring against Leicester, the former Peterborough man has recorded 7 goals and 2 assists from 11 games so far this season, already better than his overall tally for the entirety of 22/23.
