Leicester City got a severe jolt as FIFA rejected their appeal to register Adrien Silva as a player of the Foxes squad. The one-time Premier League champions were 14 seconds late in submitting the papers on the transfer deadline day and as expected, the move got a no clearance certificate from football’s governing body.
The Foxes decided not to give in and appealed to reconsider the £22m move for Sporting Lisbon midfielder and at one point it looked the judgment would go in their favour. But in a shock result, FIFA rejected Leicester’s plea and as of now, Silva will remain on the books of the Portuguese club.
The Foxes aren’t ready to wait till January and are ready to take the case further forward. The club hierarchy has been advised by their legal advisors and are now planning to seek the help of Court of Arbitration for Sport over this matter.
Leicester sold Danny Drinkwater to Chelsea on the deadline day and that move facilitated this transfer. A Leicester City spokesman said, “We cannot hide our disappointment or that of the player at the short-term consequences of the decision.
“We maintain, and have made strong representations to the Players’ Status Committee, that all parties involved in Adrien’s transfer fulfilled their obligations, consistent with regulations and within the required timeframe. The club is reserving its position in relation to whether it will decide to appeal the decision to the court of arbitration for sport.”
Drinkwater played a vital part in Leicester’s resurgence and his departure is a big blow for the Foxes who are struggling to put things under control at the moment.
Onyinye Ndidi has been in the control of the Leicester midfield and will continue to make his growth in the middle of the pitch.
But he needs a fluid partner who would be able to transmit the momentum and Silva looks apt at this moment. Vicente Iborra can perform this duty with immediate effect but somewhere down the line, Craig Shakespeare would feel the need of a midfield enforcer and here Silva’s ability could play the trick.
The 28 year old Portuguese international possesses a very strong character and is equally strong in his defensive antics. He is a very good tackler of the ball and his ability to intercept attacks would ease the burden of Ndidi. If Leicester somehow managed to win this battle, it would provide a big morale boost to their campaign which could reflect their results. But do you think it might be time for them to move on?
