Will new Leicester signing Jannik Vestergaard play v Wolves?

Leicester City are preparing to welcome their fourth summer signing in the form of Jannik Vestergaard.

With Jonny Evans still struggling with plantar fasciitis, and Wesley Fofana out for 6-8 months; the Foxes have been forced to enter the market for another centre-back.

As such, Jon Rudkin and the recruitment team have moved quickly and in the space of a few days, a £15m deal (including add-ons) has been agreed with Southampton for Jannik Vestergaard, who only had one year left on his deal. This would mean LCFC will have two ex-Saints defenders who participated in the 9-0 drubbing. Interestingly, neither of these fit the typical ‘profile’ of Leicester City signing, but both add much-needed experience to the backline.

What will Jannik Vestergaard bring to the Leicester City team?

Jannik Vestergaard on the face of it brings aerial dominance and a set-piece threat, after all the Dane stands at 6″7, far taller than any current Foxes player. One would hope that Vestergaard’s presence would improve Leicester’s well-profiled set-piece woes in both directions. Certainly, his height lends him a significant advantage in aerial duels, which has helped him in his career so far.

In terms of his other qualities, Vestergaard possesses excellence in reading the game as well as a raking long pass, especially when given time on the ball. At Southampton, he utilised this ability to pick out the runs of the Southampton full-backs, which could well be replicated here (Hello Ricardo Pereira).

Hopefully, he will work well with Çağlar Söyüncü, with Vestergaard’s weaknesses (a lack of pace), being covered by the powerful Turk and vice-versa. Furthermore, having a fellow international teammate in Kasper Schmeichel behind him should help Jannik to integrate into the Foxes lineup.

Will Vestergaard play Vs Wolves?

Brendan Rodgers confirmed in his pre-match press conference that Vestergaard is currently in Leicester, awaiting confirmation for the final transfer. When asked if the Dane would play, he opted to play it safe by saying “We’ll see if he’s available for the weekend”.

For Vestergaard to be eligible against Wolves on Saturday, he would need to be registered by Friday midday. This would necessitate the completion of both final paperwork and announcements either tonight or tomorrow morning. In terms of match-fitness, Jannik has both Premier League experience as well as a pre-season meaning he wouldn’t need time to ‘get up to speed’.

If Vestergaard isn’t able to play by Saturday, Daniel Amartey showed he can step into the breach if necessary. Nevertheless, FoL welcomes more quality depth to help the Foxes maintain their assault on the traditional top-six of the Premier League, and Vestergaard will hopefully help Leicester do just that.