Turkish centre-back Caglar Soyuncu has changed agents indicating that he could be pushing for a move away from Leicester City during the summer after losing his place in the starting lineup.
Soyuncu joined the Foxes in August 2018. In his first season with Leicester he made eight appearances. In the 2019/20 season he became a more regular player in the XI; in November 2019, he scored his first goal in a 2-0 win over Crystal Palace. ‘Cags’ featured in all but one Premier League fixture before football was suspended due to the Covid-19 outbreak in March 2020.
During the 2020/21 season Soyuncu helped Leicester to seal a 2-1 win against Manchester United after his powerful header got the Foxes’ their first win at Old Trafford in 23 years. The Turkish international also featured in Leicester City’s FA cup final against Chelsea as we defeated them 1-0 to record our first ever FA cup win and Soyuncu’s maiden major piece of silverware with Leicester.
The 2021/22 season with City was a tough one for the Turkish-born centre-back, as Jonny Evans and Wesley Fofana had been out injured for the majority of the season. But the former Freiburg man still managed 41 appearances for City; scored one goal which came against Manchester United, as the Foxes won 4-2 on Filbert Way.
Verdict on the issues ahead
Looking at the situation, you can see that Soyuncu is clearly out of favour with the manager. When Jonny Evans or Wesley Fofana haven’t been available, Daniel Amartey has been getting in the team ahead of ‘Cags’ – indicating LCFC might sell him in the summer.
After the East Midlands team fell to defeat against Tottenham Hotspur at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in May, Brendan Rodgers aired his frustrations. Rodgers said he had a ‘problem’ with a 50-50 challenge which Soyuncu did not win and lead to Spurs’ second goal of the game.
"“There’s no problem with the tackle,” he said. “We have to win the tackle. I’ve got a problem with us not winning the tackle. Romero was strong and aggressive and that’s what you want from your centre-half, so there’s no problem with the tackle.” – Leicester Mercury"
The Leicester City centre-back has been a key player in the squad, shown through his strength and composure which established him amongst the best defenders in the Premier League during the 2019/20 season.
However, this could be the time to cash in to generate money to fund the rebuild under Rodgers. Having bought him for £19 million from Freiburg, City can make substantial profit as the CB is currently worth about £40.5 million, suggest Transfermarkt. Plus, if he isn’t interested in playing for us and does want to move away, there’s no point in keeping an unhappy player when Rodgers might as well acquire someone else who will put the effort in and want to play for the side.
Fans’ general feelings on the situation
Andrew – “Not had the best of seasons even though he’s had a lot of game time and some inconsistent performances. After the Tottenham game comments from Brendan Rodgers indicated the manager wasn’t impressed by his attitude on the pitch, and hasn’t started since, even Daniel Amartey has been getting in ahead of him.”
George – “I personally think that there is a great player in there, but I think he’s hit his pinnacle at Leicester. For his own good I think a summer move is needed so he can restart his career.”
Detailed explanation of the agent change and what this could mean
Now being represented by Wasserman – an LA based agency who also look after Soyuncu’s Leicester team-mates Jamie Vardy, Harvey Barnes and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall – the Turkey international could be pushing for a move away from Leicestershire. However the swap could also merely be completely coincidental, naturally.
Soyuncu has attracted the admiration of likes of Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid, supposedly, who are ‘monitoring developments over his future’ alongside EPL rival sides Tottenham and Chelsea. Brendan Rodgers wants players who will challenge for a regular space in the starting XI to create serious but healthy competition. And, hopefully, selling players like Soyuncu and Belgian midfielder Youri Tielemans this will create the funds to allow this to happen.
Conclusion on Caglar Soyuncu’s immediate Leicester City future
In conclusion, I fully expect the CB to leave Leicester this summer, as it will be the best thing for both parties. LCFC will get the funding necessary to assist the ‘squad refresh‘ – and Cags will get the chance to further or reignite his career.