LEICESTER, ENGLAND - JANUARY 19: A detailed view of the Leicester City crest on the corner flag prior to the Premier League match between Leicester City and Chelsea at The King Power Stadium on January 19, 2021 in Leicester, England. Sporting stadiums around the UK remain under strict restrictions due to the Coronavirus Pandemic as Government social distancing laws prohibit fans inside venues resulting in games being played behind closed doors. (Photo by Tim Keeton - Pool/Getty Images)
Following a reported £17 million transfer to Leicester City in January of last year, Victor Kristiansen may be on the move once more.
The 21-year-old was sent on loan to Italian team Bologna during the summer after making just 14 appearances in a blue shirt since joining from Copenhagen last year. This was done when he realized he wasn’t a major part of new manager Enzo Maresca’s plans.
Just a few months after moving to England, the fullback was considering his future because the new manager preferred a back three and used wingbacks.
And ever since he teamed up with manager Thiago Motta in Serie A, the young prodigy has only gotten better, supporting the Rossoblù in their fight for a Champions League berth in Italy following a great start to the campaign.
The terms of Victor Kristiansen’s contract
The highly anticipated young player was lured to King Power Stadium by Brendan Rodgers as the Foxes battled to stay in the Premier League, and there was great hoopla when Kristiansen joined the team in January 2023.
The Dane signed a five-and-a-half-year contract to stay with the team until the summer of 2028 as part of the estimated £17 million transaction, but it already appears like his stint in England will be far shorter than anticipated.
Having found the net for the first time in his final appearance for the club – a 2-0 away victory over Aarhus – he then made his Foxes debut in a 1-0 FA Cup victory over Walsall in January 2023.
Two more victories in his first two starts against Aston Villa and Tottenham showed early signs that City’s fortunes were turning around, but a tough end to the campaign saw them return to the Championship after nine season in the Premier League.
When Enzo Maresca shows up, Kristiansen is left in the dark.
The early going for the young Dane wasn’t good, as his new manager used a system that didn’t take full advantage of his skills on the wings and James Justin solidified his position on the left side of defense. Rodgers was fired, and Maresca was brought in to replace him.
Due to the left-back’s unusual arrangement, which primarily uses him as a left center back, Maresca was aware in the summer that Kristiansen and several other teammates wouldn’t play a significant role in his plans.
“I don’t think Victor and Luke [Thomas] can play inside like Ricardo [Pereira] is doing now. Probably we can try to use them in a different way, Victor in the way we are using Callum [Doyle],” Leicester Live reported in the summer.
“We are trying to do it but at the same time we understand that the best qualities for them is to play as a full-back. It’s the way they have played all of their lives. We are trying to teach them some concepts.”
The writing was already on the wall for Kristiansen then, and he quickly got the ball rolling for a move away from the club, as Bologna Sport News reported on his arrival to Italy:
“Leicester changed manager, they wanted me to play as a central defender, but I preferred to continue playing in my role.
“I told my agent that I needed to change teams to be a full-back. Bologna arrived offering me a nice project.”
After a slow start to the campaign Kristiansen has now made the left-back spot his own in Bologna, registering three assists going forward and helping contribute to the joint fourth-best defence in the league with just 23 goals conceded this campaign, as per FotMob.
He has already spoken out to the Italian press about his current plight, and said he has ‘no future’ with Leicester while speaking with Italian outlet Corriere dello Sport (via Sport Witness).
A strong showing in last weekend’s 2-1 victory for his current side against Lazio will only have boosted his chances of making a permanent move to Italy in the summer, with his perfectly executed cross setting up Joshua Zirkzee for the game-winning goal.
With game time limited at his parent club, Kristiansen’s initiative to make the move away in search of more minutes has come up trumps; the only positive for the Foxes will be their chances of recuperating their original outlay look strong.
With European football a distinct possibility for Motta’s men next year, Bologna will see the deal as a wise investment, while Leicester will regard him as the one that got away.
