Dennis Praet profiled: How Leicester City’s new signing fits into the system

Leicester City concluded their summer transfer window with the signing of Dennis Praet. The 25-year-old joins the Foxes from U.C. Sampdoria for a fee in the region of £18million.

Praet becomes the second Belgian central midfielder at the club, joining Youri Tielemans, who was secured on a permanent basis after a successful loan spell last campaign. Nationality isn’t the only thing linking the two players. They both rose to the top of the ranks plying their trade with R.S.C Anderlecht.

A partnership that truly blossomed in the Jupiler Pro League until both players were promptly snapped up by top European clubs, they both now find themselves at the heart of the Leicester midfield again, hoping to rekindle their partnership in England’s top flight.

So what does Praet bring to this squad that’s been lacking recently?

His profile as a player holds similarities to Adrien Silva. A calm, composed ball-player in the centre of the pitch. Praet, like Silva, likes to operate deep within the midfield, normally operating as a box-to-box or defensive midfielder, although referring to him as a defensive-midfielder is doing his attacking qualities a massive disservice.

Adept at carrying the ball from deep and transitioning play from defence into attack, Praet also likes to feed the ball between the lines. His vision for a pass is faultless, which will really help Leicester deal with the high-press systems being used by the majority of Premier League teams.

Interestingly, throughout pre-season, Tielemans has drifted out to the right side during passages of attacking play, partnered with a central run from Ayoze Perez. This is an asset Praet likes to utilise as well. He drifts wide, often to find extra space and is then able to distribute and dictate the game from these areas.

The majority of his assists come from crosses from the right. He drifts wide as mentioned before, but he also couples this with a run between the opposition’s full-back and centre-back whilst his team’s full-back is in possession to find space on the byline.

Ordinarily, this run goes unmarked and was done numerous times last season by Tielemans during his loan spell – with high reward.

The slower pace of the Serie A did allow for Praet to control the game more with more time and space on the ball, but he’s a quick thinker and adaptive to play, so settling into life in England shouldn’t be too much of a task.

Another asset that Praet has is a quick change of pace. He’s diverse on the ball and two-footed – as is Tielemans. He is therefore able to maintain control of the ball by feinting and sprinting into space regardless of which side space opens up for him.

Lastly, Praet is tenacious. A good player to have in the press for Leicester. His occasional box-to-box style makes him a good ‘engine’ in the midfield. He’s able to win possession back high up the pitch, making the opposition defence feel claustrophobic and then able to progress the ball into a good chance on the attack.

Who is making way for Praet to fit into the current Leicester side? The current answer is nobody.

At the start of his time in the East Midlands, he will mostly be used off the bench, but as the season progresses and fixtures come thick and fast, Praet will be making a case ahead of Wilfred Ndidi or Tielemans.