Three current Leicester City players who could shine next season and should have fans very excited for the new campaign.
Leicester City transfer rumours are circulating, and every fan is talking about who will improve their teams’ squad next season. But what about closer to home? I’ll take a look at three players in the current squad for you Foxes fans to be excited over next season.
Filip Benkovic
Yes, the young Croatian has not played a game for Leicester City, but with some experience on this side of the pond, this could be his breakthrough season.
A loan spell with Brendan Rodgers when he was at Celtic was greeted with a lot of praise. Rodgers would frequently talk about how much Benkovic was improving at the time.
However, an injury towards the end of the season put his development on hold for the time being.
When he returned to the East Midlands, Benkovic training and returned to full fitness, then after the New year he went on loan down South this time to Bristol City to help their push for the play-offs. He again impressed many and experience with English football will have helped his development.
Now we go into this season and Leicester don’t have Johnny Evans at their dispense for the first three games due to his reckless red card against Manchester United.
I think I speak for most Foxes fans when I say that I would rather have Benkovic start instead of Wes Morgan.
So, with that in mind, it is the perfect opportunity for the Croatian to put in a couple of good performances, for a manager that has already worked with him at Celtic. Who knows, a good couple of games and Rodgers will seriously have to decide between Benkovic and a returning Evans. Evans won’t be around forever, and yes he has been incredible, but he is the wrong side of 30 and embedding a young defender for an evolving side just makes perfect sense.
Luke Thomas
Young left-back Luke Thomas burst onto the Leicester City scene towards the end of last season with a fantastic performance on debut at Sheffield United. Whilst the nature of his call up was slightly fortuitous, with Chilwell and Fuchs both out injured and Justin deputising at right back, his performance was Premier League quality and one that got Leicester fans dreaming of a new academy product to establish themselves.
Whilst the games after were nothing spectacular, they weren’t awful. It started to give fans ideas of what life post Ben Chilwell would be like.
It is no secret that Chilwell is linked with a number of clubs and that Foxes fans would be more than happy to wave him goodbye and show him the way out. That move will allow Thomas to come in when Justin will be playing at right back for a few more games and show what he can do. Who knows, a couple of good games and he won’t be looking back.
It is a definitely one that could go either way, but it is nice knowing that Brendan Rodgers has someone to turn to should his number one left back leave.
Thomas is confident on the ball with added quality, but defensively he can be out muscled, but then again, most players are nowadays. Watch this space.
Kelechi Iheanacho
Most people will be confused with this choice, but I have my reasons.
Kelechi Iheanacho’s Leicester career took a while to gather momentum. Being a striker in a team with Jamie Vardy is always going to tough. Shakespeare never used him, and then was sacked so any plans to embed the Nigerian were gone.
Claude Puel took over and it was never clear where Iheanacho stood in his plans. Some games he would play as a 10, others he’d be used as an impact sub and then in some he would omitted from the squad all together.
The thing that would have hardest for Iheanacho would have been the feeling that if you don’t score when you finally get a start, you won’t play for a while. That pressure is not healthy for a striker who was only 21 at the time, so it’s no wonder why his confidence was completely shot.
But fast forward to the Rodgers era and the former Manchester City player has a new lease of life. The catalyst was of course the Everton game, and this then gave Rodgers the confidence to start Iheanacho alongside the imperious Vardy, with many impressive performances.
The Nigerian links up well with players around, is willing to work off the ball and run in behind and has great vision to go with it. His finishing does let him down slightly, but that will come.
With Vardy now 34 and surely on the steady decline, this leaves the door open for a rejuvenated Iheanacho, and a good start to the season with a manager who trusts him. Every Leicester City supporter ought to be excited about this new chapter.