In a recent report, Estadio Deportivo has mentioned that Leicester City are locked in a three-way battle for Real Betis midfielder William Carvalho. It is understood that the Foxes will have to rival Benfica and Wolverhampton Wanderers in the race to secure the services of the Portuguese midfield ace this summer (via Estadio Deportivo).
Carvalho’s Underwhelming Season At Estadio Benito Villamarín
Carvalho has been a dominant presence at the heart of Manuel Pellegrini’s midfield but has struggled to find consistency with his performances for the Spanish outfit this season. The 28-year-old has featured in 24 matches for Real Betis this term, netting two goals in the process across all competitions.
The Luanda-born sensation has struggled to give a good account of himself as he is averaging 0.8 tackles, 0.5 interceptions, 0.5 clearances, 0.6 shots and 0.9 dribbles per game in La Liga. Still, Carvalho has been a tidy distributor of the ball after completing 84.5% of his attempted passes in the Spanish first division (stats via whoscored).
The Portugal international has missed a few matches this season because of a muscle injury which has not helped his cause in Spain. However, there is still enough time for Carvalho to prove his worth as a commanding midfielder for Betis in the remainder of this campaign.
What Will The Portuguese Midfield Ace Bring To The King Power Stadium?
Standing at 1.87m, Carvalho is a towering presence in midfield. He can often overpower the opposition and win some important 50-50 duels in the air. The Portuguese powerhouse can also protect the ball well at the centre of the park and has got a wide range of passes in his locker.
Carvalho is primarily a defensive midfielder but can also fill in as a box to box midfielder or play as a centre-back if needed. He has got a good work ethic and possesses the tenacity to earn possession back for his team.
However, Carvalho can sometimes be a liability on the field because of his lack of pace, so he might not be the best fit for Brendan Rodgers’ brand of football at the King Power Stadium. The Leicester boss has relied on Nampalys Mendy, Wilfred Ndidi and Hamza Choudhury to anchor his midfield over the past 12 months. Hence, recruiting a midfielder of Carvalho’s quality will only increase competition for places within Rodgers’ match-squad in the coming seasons.
As long as the 63-time Portugal international can avoid getting injured, he should have a good shot of becoming a dominant midfielder in the Premier League if the Foxes can get him on board when the transfer window reopens at the end of this campaign.
