Where Ademola Lookman will fit into Leicester’s team

Well, the Leicester City news you have been waiting for has finally arrived. Judging from LCFC twitter, it seems that some fans are not particularly enamoured by the loan signing of Ademola Lookman. As explained in a previous article, Lookman’s output last season was nothing extraordinary but neither was it anything to be ashamed of; especially as he was playing for a relegation-battling side.

The question is, where would Lookman fit into Brendan Rodgers’ side. FoL hope to provide some potential answers.

Right-wing

Ademola Lookman may well play in the vacant right-wing position which has been a constant source of headaches since the departure of the magician, Riyad Mahrez. Without a clear first-choice contender, Lookman has the perfect opportunity to make this position his own. Hopefully out wide, he will provide the flair and output that has been so lacking from his predecessors. His 2020/21 numbers offer hope as he was the main creative fulcrum in a turgid Fulham outfit. Therefore one would hope that in a better club, he may well improve upon those figures.

The main issue with Lookman is that he’s right-footed which contradicts the style of winger Rodgers prefers to use.  It’s likely he may have to adapt his style to fit into Leicester’s team, by coming inside more rather than hugging the touchline. Ideally, Lookman would avoid  occupying the same areas as Ricardo Pereira, as to not negate the impact of the Portuguese full-back. Nevertheless, given the lack of depth in this area- it’s expected Lookman will primarily be played on the right-hand-side.

Backup Left-wing 

Another place Lookman could be utilised is on the left-wing, where he has been used with greatest regularity throughout his career so far. The only problem for Ademola here is Harvey Barnes who is also most effective on the left. Regardless, Leicester City will be in several competitions and having the option to rotate Barnes with Lookman is pretty good indeed! Especially considering how Barnes’ overuse last campaign contributed to his horrible injury, as well as his current poor form. They do say competition breeds excellence after all.

Where else could Ademola Lookman play for Leicester City?

Lookman is a very versatile player, which may be partly why Rodgers is willing to take a gamble with him so late on. Apart from on both wings, Ademola has shown he’s competent in both the ’10’ position as well as up front. He played 11/34 appearances in these positions for Fulham last season.

Hopefully, he won’t have to play at all here, with LCFC well-stocked at striker. Furthermore, with Lookman’s arrival it may allow Ayoze Pérez to function as a backup to James Maddison- in a position he’s more comfortable in.