Why Leicester City should go all out for Solomon Kvirkvelia in January

According to a report from the Leicester Mercury, Lokomotiv Moscow centre-back Solomon Kvirkvelia is finally open to joining Leicester City, who have been chasing his services for quite a while.

The Georgian international, 27, turned down the chance to sign for the Foxes for €10 million back in 2017 as he wanted to stay in the Russian Premier League.

The 27-year-old, who joined Lokomotiv Moscow in 2017 after a successful loan stint from Rubin Kazan, helped his club win their domestic league in 2018.

While Moscow fell short of defending their title last season, with Zenit St Petersburg eventually winning it, Solomon Kvirkvelia had an impressive 2018/19 where he managed 41 appearances across all competitions. That being said, Leicester City must go all out to sign the towering centre-back in January.

The Foxes signed five new players in total over the summer, including Ayoze Perez and Youri Tielemans, but he was unable to bring in a replacement for Harry Maguire, who became the world’s most expensive defender following his move to Manchester United.

Maguire, who has been one of the consistent defenders in the Premier League in recent seasons, was a rock at the back for Leicester and his exit has left Brendan Rodgers with Caglar Soyuncu, Jonny Evans, Wes Morgan and Filip Benkovic as options in central defence.

While Soyuncu has stepped up and hasn’t let the Foxes feel the absence of the England international, Rodgers must bring in a replacement for Maguire during the winter transfer window.

Solomon Kvirkvelia could be an ideal fit at the King Power Stadium. Standing at 6ft 4in tall, the defender is physically tough and has an astute aerial presence that makes him an asset at both ends of the pitch.

He likes to keep things tight at the back, make crucial tackles and interceptions and use his no-nonsense approach to quickly snuff out the danger before it grows.

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However, the Georgian can be a bit clumsy with his tackles and challenges and his lack of pace could be an issue in the Premier League. But the 27-year-old compensates his lack of pace with reading and technical understanding of the game.

All in all, Kvirkvelia would personally cherish the concept of plying his trade under Rodgers at Leicester.

Verdict

Kvirkvelia has the qualities to be a great addition to the Leicester squad. Thus, the Midlands club must not hesitate to reignite their interest in the brawny defender.