Leicester City’s title defence shall go down in the pages of history as one of the worst. Down and out of the title defence already, even relegation isn’t out of the equation as they are poised merely five points above the drop zone. Claudio Ranieri has been reduced to the stature of a helpless manner scratching his head, for there is an evident dearth of ideas that he can implement to bolster his team’s credentials.
The Foxes’ form has been miserable in the League, having won just a couple of games in their last 10 league outings. Moreover, speaking in a broader sense, they have garnered merely 21 points in a total of 22 games this term, and more than anything else, their defence has let them down.
Their backline had been the main architects of their sensational season last term but have already conceded as many as 37 goals to absolutely rattle their team’s prospects of knitting a healthy title defence.
With merely a couple of days remaining before the windows slams shut, Leicester have some vital issues to address. With central defensive slot one of them, Ranieri has reportedly put Anderlecht’s centre-back Kara Mbodji on his radar in order to lure him to the King Power Stadium. The 27-year-old is a very versatile and defensive-minded player who can ply his trade at the heart of the defence as well as in the central midfield.
The Senegalese international could be available for a nominal transfer fee in the vicinity of £7 million and could be used by the Leicester gaffer immediately or can provide serious competition to the central defensive duo of Robert Huth and Wes Morgan. Arguably, the defensive pair have taken their position for granted and have failed to deliver.
The former Genk defender has decent experience in his locker, is strong, commanding in the air, knows how to read the game and urges the team to launch ahead. Time and again, he has derived comparisons to Everton’s Ashley Williams and has attracted interest from a handful of Premier League clubs as well. Moreover, he never refrains from making sharp tackles and considering the inflation this transfer window generally offers, the Foxes can strike gold if they can fork out a deal to lay their hands over this prized asset.
Leicester’s run last season was built on good defensive performances towards the last few months and they need their spine to be solid if they are to avoid a poor finish in the League table.
