Leicester’s Tielemans transfer decision is far from ideal

The argument can be put forward that players wield more power than ever before as they can almost force clubs to let them run down their contract. Yet this is more of an indictment on the state of the sport, and does little to soften the blow to the pursestrings at the East Midlands outfit.

It’s easy to say this in hindsight, but if the City hierarchy always knew and accepted that Tielemans was a valuable asset that would absolutely be sold to one of Europe’s elite, then they certainly were both greedy in their expectations of a stunning third season, and naive to think that a talent such as his would be grateful enough for the opportunity to ignore advances from elsewhere and sign a new long-term deal.

Perhaps they were drawn in by the timing of the World Cup, thinking that the Belgian would want his future secure and sorted this summer so he could focus on helping his nation succeed, and that he’d rather commit his future to the club than risk being a squad player elsewhere and jeopardising his place in Roberto Martinez’s plans. Whatever the rationale behind not cashing in after the 2020/21 season, which would have seen Tielemans’ farewell be his stunning FA Cup final winning goal, such a decision has left the club in limbo at a time where its financial strategy is severely lacking in clarity or certainty.