Leicester City look set to jump back into the centre-back market to bolster their defensive options. The Foxes have already signed Conor Coady from Wolves, who sustained a foot injury in a pre-season friendly, and Callum Doyle on loan from Manchester City. With the Coady injury, and the rumours that Leicester may be ready to let Harry Souttar leave the club, it leaves Enzo Maresca’s side short of options at the back.
Enter Taylor Harwood-Bellis. The East Midlands side have been linked with a move for another Man City defender this summer in the form of England Under-21 player Harwood-Bellis. The Foxes are rumoured to be in a three-way transfer tussle with fellow Premier League relegated teams, Leeds and Southampton.
The centre-back spent last season on loan at Burnley where he was instrumental in helping the Clarets get promoted back to the Premier League straight away. But it does not look like Vincent Kompany is going to go back in for him on a permanent move, which may open the door for him to leave for another Championship club.
So why should Leicester City bring in Harwood-Bellis?
1. Harwood-Bellis would deepen Leicester City boss Enzo Maresca’s defensive options
First things first, he would bring much-needed depth to the back line. If Maresca is looking to persist with this three-at-the-back formation then a good foundation of centre-backs is much needed. At the moment Leicester have five conventional centre-backs at the club, one of them being the injured Coady and another being the Rangers-linked Souttar. That leaves only Wout Faes, Jannik Vestergaard, and Callum Doyle as the senior centre-backs.
Even Wout Faes’ future remains uncertain as he was quoted saying, “You never know what could happen” in an interview with The Athletic this week. Maresca could maybe look to blood a youth player like Ben Nelson who is said to be being looked at by some of the country’s elite clubs, including Chelsea.
Outside of those options we have seen Wilfred Ndidi drop back into defence before, but under Maresca’s reign, it looks far more likely that we will see the Nigerian up front rather than at the back. So maybe Hamza Choudhury could drop back there? But that would be less than ideal. So bringing in Harwood-Bellis would bolster these options and help to aid Leicester’s title charge.
2. The England international would bring experience
Despite only being 21 years old the former Burnley centre-back would bring a wealth of experience, he is an old head on young shoulders. Firstly he would bring experience at this level having been part of Burnley’s promotion campaign last season, playing 32 games of the Clarets’ stellar Championship season.
But secondly, he would bring big-game experience and leadership to a side that is lacking in just that. The 21-year-old had a busy summer as he lifted the Under-21 European Championship with England. Harwood-Bellis captained the side to glory and his energy and brilliant performance were key to winning the trophy.
3. Harwood-Bellis is familiar with Maresca’s system
Having played under Kompany last season Harwood-Bellis has received coaching from another of Pep Guardiola’s coaching disciples. Last season the Belgian manager utilised a similar system to Maresca. In defence, Burnley set up in a 4-4-1-1 formation, but in attack, they almost played a 3-3-3-1 or a 3-2-5 similar to Maresca’s 3-2-4-1.
The 21-year-old also played in a side that were heavily possession-based and were dominant in most games, which we expect the Foxes to be this season. He is not afraid to step into midfield and make a pass, but he also enjoys the traditional side of the defensive game as he is quite happy to put his body on the line to make a big block or a crunching tackle. This makes him the perfect blend of a traditional no-nonsense defender and a more modern ball-playing centre-back.
Harwood-Bellis could be available for a fee of around £15m, if Leicester can’t afford to pay the fee he may also be available to take on a loan with a view to a permanent deal next season. Either way, it is a no-brainer. Get it done Enzo.