Three wingers that would take Leicester City to the next level

With most of their summer business wrapped up for the time being, Leicester City must make signing a marquee winger an absolute necessity.

After a frustratingly quiet beginning to this summer’s transfer window, the Foxes superbly strengthened three key areas in quick succession, as they signed James Justin, Ayoze Perez and Youri Tielemans over the course of ten days.

However, the most notable weakness in City’s squad is still yet to be addressed. They must acquire a goal-scoring winger.

Even if Harry Maguire does not complete a world record move away from the King Power stadium, there still should be enough left in the transfer kitty for one more big signing to round off an undeniably productive window.

City boss, Brendan Rodgers,outlined his side’s need for a winger, giving a detailed insight into the type of wide man that he is after:

"“At the minute we have wingers who play on the outside. That’s what I mean about the profile. That is what helps beat those sorts of teams. “I am pretty clear on what we need in order to improve. I felt if you are going to improve as a team for your game to improve you need a real balance, where you can play on the counter attack but also when teams sit deep.” “With the counter attack you need fast players but then teams will sit in against that so you need that next part.” Via LeicestershireLive"

There are plenty of flamboyant wingers with respectable goal contributions across Europe, including the likes of Maxwell Cornet, Simone Pepe and Brais Mendez.

This writer will assess the three most suitable candidates for the role vacated by Riyad Mahrez almost one year ago:

Hakim Ziyech

Hakim Ziyech certainly has the most in common with Leicester’s old Algerian flame. He is a technical inside forward with a consistently brilliant goal and assist output. 29 in as many league games this season, to be exact (16 goals and 13 assists).

The Moroccan international’s precise passing and dribbling make him an essential weapon for breaking down resilient defences. With 2.8 successful dribbles per 90 minutes, and four key passes (3.1 of which were short), stats via WhoScored, Ziyech meets Rodgers’ requirements and then some.

After an impressive Champions League campaign, the 26-year-old may be reluctant to sacrifice playing European football for the season. However, if he can be persuaded to join, his reported £25 million release clause makes him an absolute bargain in today’s market.

Another standout feature of Ziyech’s playing style is his versatility. He can operate effectively in any attacking position, particularly the number 10 role, currently monopolised by James Maddison at City. This versatility would make Ziyech a prime candidate to play in a fluid three alongside Maddison and Ayoze Perez behind Jamie Vardy. A mouthwatering prospect.