Why Leicester City should avoid signing Andre Almeida from Benfica

According to a report from the Leicester Mercury, Leicester City had sent scouts to watch Andre Almeida in Benfica’s clash with RB Leipzig in the Champions League this week. But the Foxes scouts were left disappointed given that he didn’t play.

Leicester City have bought well in recent times, adding real quality to the squad to allow Brendan Rodgers to build a squad capable of challenging the Premier League’s ‘Big Six’.

The smart recruitment has worked very well for the Midlands club in the new season, with Rodgers’ side having picked up eight points from their opening five league games.

The Foxes released Danny Simpson at the end of last season and replaced him with young full-back James Justin. The 21-year-old signed a five-year contract with Leicester City over the summer, penning a deal with the Club from hometown team Luton Town.

However, he is yet to feature in the top-flight as Ricardo Pereira has started the season as Rodgers’ first-choice right-back.

Ricardo was bought from FC Porto last summer and enjoyed a brilliant debut season at the King Power Stadium, earning the Club’s Player of the Year award.

The Portuguese has started the 2019/20 in the same vein, showing plenty of energy going forward while being defensively solid as well.

He is one of the first names on Rodgers’ team-sheet and going by his consistent performances, Justin faces a mighty challenge to break into the Foxes’ first-team. With Ricardo and Justin fighting for the right-back position, why should Leicester make a move for Andre Almeida?

Almeida, 29, has been with Benfica since 2011 and is a vastly popular figure at the club. He enjoyed an excellent last campaign with Portuguese champions Benfica, where he won his fifth league crown and also played in the Champions League.

The 29-year-old chipped in with an eye-catching 12 assists to show his attacking qualities and is decent defensively as well.

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At 29, Almeida is in the peak years of his career right now. Nevertheless, he isn’t exactly what Leicester need at the moment. In Ricardo, Rodgers has one of the best right-backs in the division.

And then there’s Justin, who is still waiting for his first taste of England’s top-flight football. A move for Almeida would unnecessarily disturb the balance of the squad, whilst hinder Justin’s development.

Verdict

Having sold Harry Maguire to Manchester United in the summer, Rodgers’ immediate priority will be to sign a new central defender in January to replace the England international.

With the right-back area already sorted, it makes no sense for the Foxes to splash the cash to sign Almeida from Benfica.