Leicester City’s dismal Premier League run continued with yet another defeat this weekend against Watford. Claudio Ranieri, whose flawless tactics won the Foxes the league last season, seems to have run out of ideas this time with nothing working for them at the moment.
The repetitive defeats have led many to point out the void left by N’Golo Kanté in the Leicester midfield, which Ranieri has failed to fill. With Nampalys Mendy, who was touted as the replacement for the Frenchman, out with a horrific injury that he incurred in the opening day of the season, the defensive midfield position has haunted Ranieri every game since then.
The search for an effective replacement has now brought Leicester to Genk midfielder Wilfred Ndidi, as per reports. Things might have advanced to some extent as Genk technical director Dimitri De Conde has admitted that the club may struggle to keep Ndidi if a big offer comes in for the teenager. Leicester City are likely to bid 15.5 million pounds for the Nigerian.
Ndidi has been a regular starter for Genk appearing in 15 games so far. The 19-year old has had an impressive Europa League campaign so far scoring 2 goals in 4 appearances. After Kante’s huge impact on Leicester City’s title winning season, Ranieri is looking for a midfielder with a similar knack who is has an immense work rate and passing accuracy in the attacking third as well as the more indispensable defensive attributes. And Ndidi might have that spark.
Ndidi is known for his recovery pace, which has caught the eye but it will be his stamina, which will be the concern here. Although Leicester have time and again repeated that they aren’t looking for Kante’s replacement, it is now very clear that it is what exactly they are in dire need right now.
Ranieri has deployed Daniel Amartey alongside Drinkwater this season but it has failed to provide the defence-splitting passes for the forwards, which is one main reason why Jamie Vardy and Riyad Mahrez have been left chasing shadows this season.
Leicester City are currently in the 14th position in the league table, conceding 20 goals in the opening 12 games and scoring only 14. Needless to say that the defensive duo of Robert Huth and Wes Morgan has been breached more than once, which was like an invincible wall last season. But they have hardly received any support from the midfield. Drinkwater has already lamented the loss of Kanté and their inability to replace him successfully.
