According to reports, former Premier League Champions Leicester City are close to landing Coventry City striker George Thomas. The 20-year-old centre forward is currently out of contract after it expired in June and is currently seeking his chances elsewhere.
The Foxes have been looking closely at Thomas for quite some time now. As soon as his contract ended in June, he was offered a deal in the region of £300,000 a week, on July 1st to come to the King Power Stadium. However, things didn’t turn out as expected and they had to leave for their pre-season tour. Now that they are back, reports claim Craig Shakespeare will return with an improved offer of £500, 000, which was Coventry City’s asking price.
The Sky Blues would get a compensation for any deal Thomas, their homegrown product, signs. However, Leicester is not expected to have a smooth run in securing his services as apparently Premier League Sides Newcastle United, Burnley, Swansea City, Brighton & Hove Albion, and Championship sides like Leeds United and Queens Park Rangers are all keen on landing him.
Though Leicester’s recent stature could give them an edge over others in this pursuit, regular chances will still remain a huge factor for the player in choosing his next destination. South Wales club Swansea were close to landing him recently, but the club chairman Huw Jenkins has been sceptical about spending £500, 000 on a relatively unproven prospect.
Leicester shouldn’t have any such reservations if they believe Thomas has the potential to make a difference up front. Jamie Vardy has been a perfect example of that and Thomas is widely believed to reach that potential if given a proper chance. Despite Coventry’s nightmarish league run last season, which saw them get relegated, Thomas showed sparks of brilliance scoring eight goals in 35 games.
And while he did really well for the Wales Under-17 side recently, scoring three goals in six games, he is yet to be capped in the Under-19 side. Leicester’s poor season last campaign was more collective than voids in the squad and they have made already made some upgrades in the likes of Eldin Jakupovic, Harry Maguire and Vicente Iborra.
The likes of Vardy, Shinji Okazaki and Islam Slimani have been quite unimpressive last season as Leicester couldn’t even break into the top half following their title winning season. And Thomas would surely fancy his chances in the senior side if he manages to impress in the initial stages. So is he the right man for the Foxes?
