Marti Cifuentes has been painting a rather realistic picture since joining the Foxes. With several players having already said their goodbyes, only one senior signing to speak of, and more possibly exiting, the Spaniard has his work cut out for him.
Supporters remain divided over the team. With few to choose from, we have seen players such as Wout Faes, Jannik Vestergaard, Harry Winks, Boubakary Soumare, and Patson Daka still lambasted: sometimes rightly, but other times just a little too harshly. El Khannouss is perhaps the most concerning one: one where the head coach equally critiques.
"We felt it was not the easiest week and in the end we decided to take him out of the spotlight, just because I think it’s the best for him and for the team"Marti Cifuentes
Left out of the starting XI against Charlton Athletic, the Moroccan attacking-midfielder is no doubt one of our best talents. Yet still, this did not stop supporters attacking a perceived lack of care, a seeming arrogance, and a mentality seen to be a drop of the head when the team is not doing well. The Foxes need fight, El Khannouss did not seem to be giving it all when we needed it most.
"I was not very happy with Bilal’s performance. I always expect a lot with players of this quality... I was obviously not happy with the performance of the whole team in the first half, it was not just about Bilal. But I am more demanding with the best players"Marti Cifuentes
Leicester City's ideal starting XI
Should Bilal El Khannouss say his farewells in this window, the club will have made significant money from the sales of several players, and saved tens of thousands more on wages. However, with very little wiggle room to play with, the priority has switched to promoting youth talents and building around a remaining core of senior talents.
To me, if the Moroccan does get a move away, we will desperately need to sign a striker who is prolific, and will desperately need to ensure we have a progressive midfield. Without both, any chance of developing our game and imposing our vision without that creative maestro will end with incessant passes back to Vestergaard et al.
The backline can remain almost unchanged from its current formulation. Jakub Stolarczyk must continue to start. Luke Thomas, Wout Faes (who is expected to leave) or Ben Nelson, Caleb Okoli, and Ricardo Pereira should form our back. However, Hamza Choudhury has been playing well in the role provided, it is simply the case I always see passion and hard work backed by quality from the Portuguese defender, and Choudhury can certainly do the job when Pereira is unable to.
In midfield, unless anyone else leaves, Winks, Soumare, and Will Alves should form that core of progression, link-up, and creativity. At this time, Alves has not featured enough for the Foxes to really show any impact, and Cifuentes may seemingly prefer the inexperienced Louis Page. Leicester City needs their best passer, their best retainer, and their creator with the ball to be on the pitch.
Up front, the options are still quite good. However, I would contend letting Jordan Ayew become our main impact player would be a better option than having him play that supportive No.9 role. Instead, Jake Evans should be placed up front, with Jeremy Monga and Abdul Fatawu flanking him. A prolific goalscorer and two wonderkids to boot: there is no better option for Leicester.
Which Leicester City players do you think are leaving? Let Foxes of Leicester know what lineup you would go for and which positions you think we need desperately on our social media channels on X or Facebook.