Leicester City started the Premier League season fielding James Justin at left-back, a seemingly good fit, as the 22-year-old help guide the Foxes to an opening day victory – 3-0 away at West Bromwich Albion. However, I feel Brendan Rodgers will seek an alternative starter in that position.
Prior to the game at The Hawthorns, I expected the newest recruit at Leicester City, Timothy Castagne, to start the game at left-back. Under Gian Piero Gasperini, his manager at former club Atalanta, Castagne played more games on the left when compared with the right – even if it’s only marginal, yet Rodgers decided to utilise him as a right-back.
For what it’s worth, this seemed like more of a statement than a tactically astute move. By playing the Belgian-international at left-back, Rodgers would have been conceding to the Leicester City hierarchy that Castagne was bought as a replacement to Ben Chilwell, whereas I don’t think he was. Undeniably, Castagne will feature on the left, but it’s his flexibility in positioning that makes him an excellent squad member.
Instead, I think Rodgers is still targeting a left-footed left-back to hold down the position for the majority of the season. I’d like to preface this by stating, if the Foxes pursuit of a left-back remains unsuccessful for the entirety of the transfer window, I think between Justin and Castagne, Leicester City have exceptional options on the left-side of their defence.
Lee Congerton, Head of Leicester City’s senior recruitment, will undoubtedly have his eye on the left-back talents available this window, and there’s lots to choose from. A player that the Foxes have already highlighted as an option is Argentinian full-back, Nicolás Tagliafico.
At 28-years-old, Tagliafico is entering the latter stages of his “prime years” but that shouldn’t act as a deterrent. An irreplaceable cog in Ajax’s rise to the UEFA Champions League semi-finals (and probably should’ve been the final itself) in 2018/19, whilst also guiding the de Godenzonen (Sons of God) to back-to-back Eredivisie title’s in his two full years with the club.
Last season, Tagliafico scored three goals and grabbed four assists from left-back, whilst maintaining a good pedigree of defending – 2.93 tackles and interceptions per 90 minutes of football. Erik Ten Hag, the current manager of Ajax, is a big fan of Tagliafico, naming him in the starting XI for 23 of their 24 Eredivisie fixtures last season.
During preseason, amid coronavirus isolations and player breaks, Nicolás Tagliafico has been given the captains armband, a testament to his significance in the Dutch capital. Will Leicester City be able to pry away the 28-year-old, who still has two years on his current contract? I’m not so sure, but it would elevate the Foxes back-line into credible European chasers.
Leicester City themselves embark on a European tour this season, as the club entertains UEFA Europa League football for the third time in its history and the first time without Martin O’Neill at the helm – although, the older generation of Foxes fans who remember the previous attempts will want an improved return this timeout.
Under O’Neill, Leicester City never made it passed the first round, losing to Atlético Madrid in 1997/98 and Red Star Belgrade in 2000/01. However, with a different Northern Irish manager in charge, Brendan Rodgers, the Foxes will surely enjoy a longer spell in the competition.
A left-back that understands the Europa League very well is Sergio Reguilón, a winner of the competition last season whilst on loan at Sevilla, from parent club Real Madrid. Upon his return to Madrid, Reguilón was named as the clubs third left-back by manager, Zinedine Zidane.
At 23-years-old, Reguilón still found himself behind Brazilian-international Marcelo, and rising French talent, Ferland Mendy – with Zidane allowing him to seek a challenge with another club, albeit one that the manager had to agree with, as the transfer was to be used as a bargaining chip for a transfer deal in future seasons. Hence the constant links with Manchester United, so that Zidane could pursue fellow Frenchman, Paul Pogba, in the near future.
Unfortunately for Leicester City, there isn’t a player of Pogba’s magnitude, to attract Zidane’s attention, but when the Foxes enquired about the services of his third choice left-back, they were quoted a price tag of more than £30m, according to The Athletic.
Reguilón has a good full-back profile for the Premier League, as he’s a very good offensive-minded player, and exceeds in his defensive responsibilities as well. Most notably, his delivery into the box is of a good level – hence his comfort level to receive the ball in the final third.
Defensively, he’s very aggressive in the tackle – as long as it’s high-up the pitch, otherwise he prefers to calculate his tackle in the defensive third. Averaging 2.04 tackles and 6.6 defensive actions (tackles, interceptions, clearances) per 90.
On the opposing metric, Reguilón created 64 shots for Sevilla in La Liga last season and was imperative in eight goals for the club. It’s this balance in his play that makes him such a desirable player for European clubs.
This transfer seems to have bypassed Leicester City, as the final stages of the contract negotiations are ongoing with Tottenham Hotspur, who used the allure of José Mourinho to pip Manchester United to the signing. At £30m, it seemed the Foxes were priced out of the transfer, and probably rightly so. There are cheaper alternatives that Congerton and Rodgers could pursue, whilst maintaining an equilibrium in the club’s expenses.
A more astute signing would be Luca Pellegrini, current applying his trade in the Italian Serie A for Juventus. After a youth career with AS Roma, Pellegrini moved to Cagliari on loan for a season – proving his worth, as upon his return to I Giallorossi (The Yellow and Reds), Juventus snapped him up for £19.8m.
Since signing, Pellegrini returned to Cagliari for his second loan spell – last season, and flourished. The 21-year-old averaged 1.79 tackles per 90 and took 33.21% of his touches in the final third (outlining his attacking intent), eclipsing the numbers of Juventus’ starting left-back, Alex Sandro. The Brazilian only averaged 1.62 tackles per 90 and took 30.89% of his touches in the final third.
The Italian Serie A kicks off this coming Saturday, with Andrea Pirlo – Juventus’ new manager, yet to feature in a dugout in his new role. It would be a brave call, and an unexpected one, to see Luca Pellegrini start ahead of established full-back, Alex Sandro, therefore another loan deal could be on the cards.
In the current market, Leicester could persuade the I Bianconeri (the Black and Whites) to loan out Pellegrini, with an option to buy at the end of the season. It’s not understood whether or not he’s a part of their long-term plans – as Pirlo hasn’t explicitly mentioned, although their lack of involvement in the current transfer window (aside from a striker) could point towards the youth being integrated. If so, this wouldn’t be an easy deal, although a loan would benefit both clubs.
With a coronavirus impacted season underway and added layers of fixture congestion for clubs to work through, having another left-back to choose from – whilst allowing youngsters such as Luke Thomas and James Justin to progress another year, could turn out to be a great deal for the Foxes.