Following the 1-0 win away at Charlton Athletic on Saturday afternoon, Leicester City manager Marti Cifuentes spoke to the media. The former Queens Park Rangers head coach talked of a number of matters directly related to the game at The Valley and otherwise. One of the topics was, naturally, the omission of star playmaker Bilal El Khannouss from the matchday squad. Thankfully Cifuentes did offer a reason as to why the Morocco international was dropped against the Addicks at the weekend. In fact, and to blow my article wide open, you can probably guess the reason why El Khannouss was omitted versus Charlton.
The attacking midfielder is currently linked with a transfer to a quite a few different Premier League clubs. Clearly the 21-year-old possesses the talent and promise to be at a mid-level English top flight outfit, or higher. His ceiling is high, as I see it. However, and on that front, we have disappointed news for the Fox, which is obviously a potentially optimistic update for LCFC's Blue Army fan base. Another possible exit from the East Midlands appears to have been put on hold. But would City supporters even want a player to stay, star or not, if they reportedly want the switch?
Apparent transfer problems
El Khannouss' move to Crystal Palace was said to be in the final stages. Although it appeared to slow down in recent days. Journalist Sacha Tavolieri claims the agreement is "on hold".
Tavolieri believed a tense situation between the two teams has caused an issue. Tottenham Hotspur have also now supposedly 'entered the race'.
Leicester City boss Marti Cifuentes gives reasoning for El Khannouss axe
Do we want El Khannouss at Leicester? It's complicated: anyone who deserves a job promotion shouldn't be begrudge in my view. Though we want loyal footballers too. If he remains a Fox, he'll have to earn our trust again. Here are Cifuentes' thoughts:
"If I feel that someone is mentally not ready to help the team, then there is no problem. That rule applies to everyone.
“I’m not afraid, I’m happy that other players can step forward and that was the case.
“We had conversations and Bilal is a very talented player. These kinds of rumours can affect players in different ways.
“I need to take decisions. As a manager, that’s what I’m paid for, to take decisions."