With the King Power Club under immense pressure to get results, supporters have berated the lack of clinical finishing up front, with the loss of Jamie Vardy taking a heavy toll on our ability to create and score chances. Jordan Ayew and Patson Daka have not become the lethal finishers we need, although they have both contributed.
However, with the prospect of relegation or another year of Championship football, the Foxes might lose a significant number of players in the summer. For example, the likelihood is that the Zambian forward would be on the move regardless of which league we end up in, and Ayew might depart if Leicester end up in League One.
Is this Leicester City's next striker?
Should Leicester City fall into League One, or their difficult financial situation worsen further, it is unlikely the East Midlands outfit will have the funds to commit towards a transfer window which will likely determine their ability to progress or at the very least survive to some degree. To me, this means we will need a cheap striker, experienced in these divisions, since we are unlikely to attract anyone else.
According to the Daily Mail, Leicester and Millwall are both interested in Charlton Athletic forward Lyndon Dykes. The 30-year-old Scotsman has performed around expectations for both Birmingham City and Charlton Athletic this season, playing regularly this campaign. Despite not particularly impressive returns, consistency and reliability to play throughout a whole match are good traits for a centre-forward.
In terms of his stats, we see a forward who is consistently impactful, but not a lethal finisher as we need now. For Charlton Athletic, Dykes has two goals and three assists across 928 minutes of football (11 matches); for Birmingham City, he had two goals and one assist across 420 minutes (21 matches), showing less utilisation in the first half of the season, now regular in the second half.
This does mean the player is something of a regular starter for Charlton, which can be seen positively, considering the gap between that team and Leicester City in the division. That side is nine points clear of Gary Rowett's Foxes, who need at least one point with no return from West Bromwich Albion to climb out of the relegation zone on goal difference, whereas Charlton are nine points from ninth place. Clearly, the gulf is huge.
Dykes is experienced, strong, and understands football at this level. Similar to how we might see a future manager who is more experienced in the game. While maintaining consistent game time, the player contributes every once in a while, while performing plenty of off-the-ball tasks, such as pressuring defenders, pulling defenders out of shape, and supporting the defence. An all-round, balanced striker who would be available for cheap at this time.