Leicester City Academy graduate wanted by EPL rivals

Leicester City destroyer Hamza Choudhury is wanted by Premier League rivals Southampton, according to reports.

Leicester City Academy graduate Choudhury is being targeted by Southampton as a potential replacement for former captain Pierre-Emile Højbjerg, according to reports. The Danish international, 25, moved to Tottenham Hotspur for a reported £15 million at the start of August and the Saints are yet to sign a replacement.

Ralph Hasenhüttl’s men set to take on Crystal Palace this Saturday, and they’ll be keen to fill the hole left in midfield by Højbjerg’s departure.

However, with the Foxes entering the Europa League this year alongside their regular Premier League and domestic cup fixtures, they’d be unwise to sell so close to the start of next season. Choudhury has featured 37 times for the Foxes since making his debut as a substitute against Liverpool in 2017; registering his first Premier League goal with a veritable screamer against Newcastle back in January.

The Loughborough-born midfielder is unfortunate in that he finds himself behind the indomitable Wilfred Ndidi in the centre of the park, as he could certainly make a case to start for other Premier League clubs.

Presently, the academy graduate still seems to be carving himself a niche under current boss Brendan Rodgers, making 20 Premier League appearances in the 19-20 season, more than twice the last campaign. The destroyer was brought through by Claude Puel, but was third choice behind Ndidi and Papy Mendy in his double-pivot system.

With Mendy also recently signing a 3-year contract, Leicester have 3 out-and-out defensive midfielders in the first team squad, and should look to strengthen in other positions without weakening others, with Demarai Gray also apparently a wanted man.

Choudhury isn’t quite the finished article yet, but at just 22 years of age it is the opinion of FoL that Leicester would be foolish to sell at this point during his development. The defensive midfielder has time on his side and will surely find himself minutes with Leicester’s busy schedule this term.

Furthermore, as the Academy graduate operates in a primarily defensive role, he’d find himself ill-suited to the 4-4-2 preferred by Saints boss Hasenhüttl, as he isn’t really a like-for-like replacement for the departed Højbjerg. At City, the academy graduate’s tackling prowess remains an asset to Brendan Rodgers; while his importance in the Leicester squad continues to grow, this is likely to be his his most exciting campaign to date.