There could be an Italian return for Leicester star

Just one year after signing from Sampdoria, Dennis Praet could be on his way out of Leicester City. The Belgian has been linked with a return to the Italian Serie A, to play under Moreno Longo at Torino FC, according to reports.

At this current moment it’s all speculation, but losing the versatile midfielder would be devastating for Brendan Rodgers and Leicester City, as although Dennis Praet’s only made 12 starts this season, his ability to plug any role in the midfield is incredibly useful – hence his frequent usage from the bench (with 15 appearances this season).

Jack-of-all-trades are often overlooked by specialists in specific positions when looking at starting XI’s, but it’s worth understanding their utilisation in the overall squad. This season alone, Praet has played as an attacking-midfielder, right-midfielder and central-midfielder; in a multitude of different roles.

Personally, I think the former Sampdoria midfielder is at his best when deployed as a box-to-box central-midfielder. This role allows equal distribution to attacking and defensive qualities; ball winning, ball carrying, one-on-one dribbling, progressive passing, intercepting, etc., something Praet is very efficient at.

As a brief caveat, the 26-year-old joined from the Italian outfit for a fee of £17.28 million, and is still considered to have a market value of £17.1 million. Signing a player with as broad a profile as Praet, for a fee in a similar bracket wouldn’t be easy, they’d also have to adjust to the press-heavy, ball-rotating ethos of Rodgers, which I think Praet has already managed.

How good is Leicester City’s Dennis Praet?

On the ball, Praet completes an average of 35.4 passes per 90, at a completion rate of 82.7%. These aren’t outstanding numbers, as the Belgian only completes 3.1 progressive passes per 90 (a pass of 10 yards, or more, towards the oppositions goal), and only 0.79 passes into the penalty area. It’s fair to say that this isn’t really his “role”, as he’s mainly partnered with James Maddison, who is exceptional at the aforementioned metrics.

Instead, Praet’s average-to-good passing numbers are subsidised by his ball-winning ability, with an average of 1.2 tackles per 90. He’s also very good inside the press, with 24.1 individual presses each game, this is a crucial element to his integration into a game for Rodgers, he adds extra legs, with an assurance in possession once he’s won it back. This was the main defence for his introduction versus Bournemouth, when Kelechi Iheanacho was inexplicably removed at half-time, before the “you know what” moment.

Stylistically, Praet will struggle to feature consistently with the Foxes, as his starts have either come through injuries, or when Rodgers implements a narrow 4-1-2-1-2 formation. This allows Praet’s long-standing partnership with fellow country-men Youri Tielemans to form again in the middle, a homage to their RSC Anderlecht days. But, as these opportunities are limited, Praet may seek a move away to find regular minutes.

At Torino, Praet would be a suitable replacement for Tomás Rincón, who after 102 appearances for the club, is now nearing the age of 33 – and traditionally plays as one of the two central-midfielders in a 3-4-1-2. There wouldn’t only be extra minutes available for Praet, it would also be in a system he’s become accustomed to during the later stages of Leicester City’s season, and I feel he’d be an excellent acquisition for iI Toro, or the Bulls, in English.

I expect this deal to not go through, Praet still has a lot to offer the Foxes – especially in a season with more fixtures, with a wider spectrum of opposition – and most likely tactics – I anticipate chances will become available in a more frequent nature to the Belgian.