Leicester City: Who will be the heir to Riyad Mahrez’s throne?
By Nathan Wong
Matheus Pereira
Of all the options, this is the most viable, although Leicester City face competition from several other Premier League sides, including Leeds United. Despite playing in a struggling West Brom side, Matheus Pereira impressed many with his classy displays, a beacon of hope amidst a storm of relegation.
Matheus is both affordable due to the Baggies’ relegation, but also proven at the highest level, a dream combination. His versatility also increases his value to the team, as he can play in the ’10’ as well as on both wings without looking too out of place.
Pereira’s underlying numbers are superb, given his team’s struggles. He scored an impressive 11 goals and assisted 6 times, although overperforming his XG by 4.05. For a more in-depth explanation of this statistic, you can read up on it here. This overperformance shows his quality but also the nature of the chances he is receiving, many being from low-percentage areas. Also apparent is the lack of quality from his teammates in helping to provide him with chances. A fine example of this is his goal against Arsenal, highlighting his dribbling and finishing abilities but also how he had to create the chance all by himself.
In a possession-based side, Pereira is likely to see much more of the ball. This is in addition to playing alongside higher-calibre teammates. As a result, he will likely have more quality chances as well as more opportunities to assist. It would be exciting to see an attacking quartet of Barnes, Vardy, Maddison and Pereira, potentially the best Leicester City has ever had.
As of yet, there is no concrete interest from Leicester City, but with a reported £15 million fee, this seems too good to turn down. It’s probably unlikely WBA would sell for such a low sum, given he is their star player, but anything under £30 million would be a reasonable price to pay for such attacking talent.
Chance of this happening: 8/10- Please make this happen