Leicester City's One Star
Steve Cooper will be exceptionally pleased with the Foxes' most controversial summer signing. It was not one of the players we mentioned deserved a chance, but the ever-patient Jordan Ayew who again saved Leicester from a humiliating defeat to Ipswich Town. Ayew may not be a flashy player, but he certainly contributes to our team.
We saw from that tie that despite coming on in the 86th minute, Ayew had an xG of 1.30, meaning the forward was in the right place after great teamwork to create enough chances to have scored once. Of course, the player did score one of his five chances in the end. It is important to recognise that although this was his primary contribution, we do see much more from Ayew.
Cooper's side benefits from Ayew playing in a few key ways. Firstly, the forward links up really well with other players, helping the Foxes to retain the ball with skilful passes and smart choices of those passes, or supporting other players' runs forward with one-twos. Secondly, Leicester's goalscorer is a disruptive and pressuring talent against opposition players: Ayew will cause problems and force opponents to make early passes to avoid giving the ball away. Finally, the player is passionate, consistently fighting to the bitter end to get a result.