After a title-winning campaign last time around, Leicester City are now struggling to keep themselves up in the top flight of English football for another year. Their revival under Craig Shakespeare might see them play in the Premier League for another season and the manager is already looking at possible options to add to the squad at the end of the season. Out of the many stars linked with a move to the King Power recently, one player who is making a buzz is Anderlecht’s Kara Mbodji.
The Foxes were interested in his signature in the January transfer window but the Belgian outfit were not ready to sell in the middle of the season. However, the manager of the club today revealed that they have set a price for his signature this summer and it is now understood that Leicester City are interested in making a move for him at the end of the season. But is he a decent option for the now-Premier League champions?
Born in Ndiass, Senegal, Mbodji is one of the most consistent players for the Senegal national team in recent times. He made his debut for the senior side for Senegal back in 2011 and has more than 30 appearances to his name already. He rose to the fore at Russian outfit Genk, where he spent just two years, making more than 90 appearances for the first team.
He moved to Anderlecht in 2015 and has already made 54 appearances to date, scoring five crucial goals. He is an experienced international and is a player who can improve the Leicester City defence.
Ranieri and Shakespeare have both used the likes of Wes Morgan and Robert Huth as the first choice centre-back partnership this season. Though not as good as in the previous one, the English duo has done a decent job for a club struggling at the bottom of the table. French defender Yohan Benalouane is the only solid replacement for the duo in the first team, and the new manager is desperate to add some numbers to his back line.
They will surely need more strength in their centre-back partnership and though they might not be in Europe, they will need players who can walk into the first team when needed and Mbodji is one such player who Leicester should surely spend on.
He is strong, agile and comfortable with the ball at his feet but at the same time, he is capable of turning into a no-nonsense defender, which will go down well at the King Power. He is also a decent threat from set-pieces and though he might not walk into the first team straight away, at just 27, he is entering his prime as a football and will surely turn into a top class defender for Leicester City in years to come.
