Why relegated striker would be ideal at Leicester as Foxes bid

Leicester City are within the midst of an exodus of Premier League talent. They may need to replace a striker, here is their ideal current target.

According to reports, the King Power club have submitted a bid for relegated Blackpool striker Jerry Yates. This is an interesting one to consider: after all, the first two bits of information you shall read are that Yates was relegated to League One and is 26-years-old.

The player is certainly not a youthful, long-term striking option to lead us back to the Premier League. However, the Foxes already have Patson Daka who is expected to remain, and hopefully only one of Jamie Vardy or Kelechi Iheanacho end up moving on to new pastures. Leicester need depth up front, not a main man.

Leicester City’s ideal option

So, if we only need depth, then the question becomes whether Yates offers a sufficiently qualified option to come on from the bench and score goals when required. As is the usual, let us have a brief look at three aspects to his game: position, style, and value, and determine whether this is the player the Foxes should acquire.

As per Transfermarkt – which calculates accumulated starting positions based upon estimations – the English striker has performed mainly as a striker, but is fairly versatile. He has also played in left and right wing positions. During the 22/23 EFL Championship/FA Cup campaign, Yates scored 15 goals and achieved six assists, a great attacking return.

Stylistically, the player is not considered by FB Ref to be a most creative or explosive of strikers when compared to other forwards in similar leagues. Instead, Yates is reported to offer an exceptional quantity and quality of interceptions: within the 97th percentile of forwards. This means the player is perfect for a high-pressing team looking to win the ball high up the field.

Furthermore, the English forward offers strength, hold-up play, and enough pace to beat a backline. In this way, Yates is stylistically similar to the Nigerian forward. The only difference between the two would be the creativity and underperformance of the ‘Seniorman’ versus the lack of creativity but overperformance of Yates.

Value wise, a bid of just £2.5m was submitted, although a realistic value of around £3-4m would be more likely. This is still extremely cheap for a player who just scored 15 goals in a season. Clearly, he offers a value for money squad option, if not being our main man. As such, this is both what we need, and Jerry Yates is offering the ideal mix of positional flexibility, stylistic utility, and inexpensive cover.