Leicester City opinion: Leicester should add Dennis Praet
According to reports in the Leicester Mercury, Leicester are looking to sign Sampdoria’s Dennis Praet. The Belgian midfielder is a prodigious attacking midfielder and the report states that he will be available for £22million.
Praet was tipped for big things when he made his Belgium debut four years ago but his progress hasn’t been as quick as expected after leaving Anderlecht for Sampdoria in 2016.
He is great on the ball, always asking for the ball in tight areas, and has an eye for the final pass.
The 23-year-old can occasionally hold on to it for too long instead of looking for an early pass. He displays a great work ethic, however, he is always ready to track back which will be ideal for a manager like Brendan Rodgers who expects a certain intensity in his teams.
Sampdoria are known for helping nurture and educate young players. We only have to look at Milan Skriniar and Mauro Icardi, two of the very best players in the Serie A to appreciate Sampdoria’s younger players and what one can expect from Praet.
Brendan Rodgers will be hoping to stamp his identity on the team. They impressed towards the end of the season but they still have streaks of inconsistent form are touted as a group who lack motivation at times.
At times they can be a match for any top team and at other times they look like a side that is battling through relegation. Hence, it is important they keep their consistency this season and this will only be possible with a bigger squad.
Leicester already have the likes of James Maddison and Youri Tielemans, who are midfielders with more attacking attributes than defensive attributes. Praet will have to fight with them to make that midfield spot his.
Despite a lot of clamours that Leicester and Wolves are ready to take the next step and peak into the top-6 or even top-4 this season, the top-6 clubs usually have far bigger squads.
Read more Leicester City news, click here – Leicester City latest news
Leicester, like many of the teams just below the top-six, don’t have squad players that can replace the quality of the first-team.
If Maddison or Tielemans are injured, the other option is Mendy, who is a completely different midfielder and will change the team dynamic completely. This is why Praet would be a fantastic addition.