Man United man rejected by Leicester: was it a good decision?

Manchester United’s newest defensive recruit Alex Telles was rejected by Leicester City, according to reports from football365.com. Was it a good decision?

With the European transfer window slamming shut on 5th October, most Leicester City fans will be happy with the business that the Foxes have completed this summer. Long-term fringe players Fousseni Diabaté, Bartosz Kaputska and Adrien Silva finally found routes away from the East Midlands, while a lack of depth on the wings and at centre-back was addressed by the arrivals of Cengiz Ünder (loan) and Wesley Fofana respectively.

The inevitable transfer of Ben Chilwell to Chelsea finally came to fruition in late August, with Belgian international Timothy Castagne seemingly the Englishman’s replacement. Further north, the Red Devils’ defensive woes seem to have been remedied in part by full-back Alex Telles’ arrival in Manchester. However, recent reports from football365.com suggest that the Brazilian was offered to Leicester first.

Timothy Castagne

Reportedly, Leicester turned down a deal for Telles in favour of pursuing eventual signing Castagne- currently, they’re looking justified in doing so. The Leicester City full-back has hit the ground running in the Premier League, with a goal, two assists and a player of the month nomination to his name in just four starts, he’s proving to be an extremely shrewd piece of business indeed. While it’s known to us that Brendan Rodgers has been an admirer of Castagne since his Celtic days, it speaks volumes on his calibre that he’d rather sign him over a cheaper, specialist left-back with European experience.

However, the elephant in the room surrounding the Belgian’s arrival concerns who he’s been brought in to replace. As a natural right-footer, Castagne isn’t exactly a like-for-like replacement for the departed Chilwell, despite his apparent quality. As of yet, the former Atalanta man has only operated on the right side of Leicester’s back four, with a move to the left expected to take place upon Ricardo Pereira’s return from injury. It’s unclear yet whether Castagne will match his current output on the opposite side, but with United acquiring Telles’ services for a mere £15 million, it’s a shame to miss out on a natural left-footer for so cheap.

Alex Telles

It shouldn’t be a case of Castagne vs. Telles, but instead one of why not both? It’s understandable that funds are short considering the current economic climate and the construction of the Foxes’ new state-of-the-art training ground, but with Chilwell’s transfer covering the arrivals of both Castagne and Fofana, you’d think that Leicester could stump up an extra £15 million for Telles as well. With a Europa League campaign on the horizon and Leicester lacking depth at left-back, it seems strange that Leicester would pass up the opportunity to sign him for such a price.

The former Porto man is yet to make his debut in the Premier League, so the jury’s still out on whether he’s a good purchase or not, but at just £15 million United can’t have gone too far wrong.

Despite missing out on the Brazilian, Leicester need not worry, with Castagne, Pereira and James Justin all possessing ample quality on the flanks. However, with 13 goals and 12 assists to his name last season, it’s a wonder what Leicester could achieve had he signed for the Foxes too this season.