Leicester: Dennis Praet gives Foxes manager transfer ultimatum

Frustrated by his limited chances, the Leicester City central attacking midfielder has given the manager a transfer ultimatum. What’s next for the Belgian international?

Foxes of Leicester has documented the brewing frustrations of Dennis Praet regularly during the off-season. The reason behind Praet’s lambast is due to the limited opportunities that he got after joining the East Midlands side for a reported fee of €20 million in 2019 from Sampdoria.

Dennis the Menace

Being the second-choice central attacking midfielder in Brendan Rodgers‘ squad, Praet could not capitalize over the minutes given to him last season. James Maddison remained was left out of the squad several times, in the 20/21 season, due to his discomfort over his recurring hip issue.

At that time, Dennis Praet became the obvious choice for the gaffer. However, it did not help Dennis in his pursuit when he suffered a hamstring injury which sidelined the player for 16 games in the Premier League.

The timing of the whole fiasco couldn’t have been worse as it looked like the Belgian had just started to impress the boss with his limited opportunities. Earlier in the same season, the 27-year-old had suffered another injury in his knee. These setbacks had swayed away any chance that Praet could have used to establish himself.

Praet’s ultimatum to Leicester City

Dennis Praet has found himself used most as a bench player at Leicester City. Over his two seasons at the club, he has featured in 60 games for the Foxes. But taking a closer look into it, one can see that he has only had 22 starts in the Premier League and just five starts in the FA Cup.

Of course, it is very transparent that the boss doesn’t think of Dennis being a regular starter over Ayoze Pérez or James Maddison. Justifiably Praet’s frustrations have reached their limit, and now he has made it clear that he will not play second fiddle to the CAM role. City is now under an ultimatum issued by Praet, who could join an interested Italian side if his demands aren’t met.

At the end of the day, a player rightfully wants his minutes to improve and impress. Without proper chances, one cannot be judgemental of a player’s performance. The limited minutes as a bench player has ultimately hurt Praet’s chances to start for his Belgium side.

Even his national side is skeptical to start a player who doesn’t start at the club level often. To turn around the situation, we think it will be better for him to move to a club where he is promised more minutes with a starting role.

Considering the player’s current market value- a sale could be beneficial for both parties. The King Power club can utilize the additional funds to increase their budget to find a promising right-winger for the next season.

The additional squad reinforcements this season have made many players redundant in their roles over the midfield department. Players like Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, Boubakary Soumaré, Thakgalo Leshabela, and Shane Flynn will all hope to compete and earn a place in the squad.