Leicester offered impressive Livakovic transfer – Foxes should act
Leicester City were reportedly offered goalkeeping hero Dominik Livakovic in the summer, and after his recent form, the Foxes must pounce. Here is the why.
According to the Athletic’s David Ornstein, Croatia’s No.1 was the subject of intense interest last summer. Furthermore, the player was actually offered – likely by his agent – to the King Power club.
Brendan Rodgers’ side were in for a ‘keeper following the untimely departure of club legend Kasper Schmeichel to Nice, and the decision was there to be made: sign a replacement or trust in Danny Ward. Ultimately, the Welsh international was entrusted and has had a rollercoaster of a season thus far.
Why Leicester City must act
Ward started the campaign poorly. No doubt this was due to the subpar defensive performances and shattering of his confidence which came from them. However, the player has since been brilliant with a consistent backline in front to boot.
A rollercoaster is not what Leicester will be wanting. Consistency is key, and Ornstein suggests the ‘goalie’ was available for between £5million-10m, a fee not particularly high for an experienced and high performant shot-stopper. Livakovic is the embodiment of consistency.
As per FB Ref, the Croatian international is within the 98th percentile for post-shot expected goals minus goals allowed, as judged against all top five league ‘keepers. What this means is that against the quality of positions of shots the player faced, he prevented more goals than the vast majority of goalkeepers. Consistently high performance, and consistently preventing goals.
Additionally, the player is stylistically similar to David Raya, and gets more touches on the ball than most ‘goalies’. In the 86th percentile for touches, which indicates a stylistic preference for sweeping and supporting ball retention for the side, as well as those sweeping clearances some make.
Next. The Leicester players who featured in the friendly vs Troyes. dark
While the King Power side do have to worry about signing midfield, winger, and defensive targets as well this January, attaining a cheap and consistent player in the net could be integral going forward. The Foxes must look towards players of this quality in the near future.