It seems as though the Leicester City board has made another transfer or contract error at King Power Stadium. The Blue Army fan base have gotten used to those mistakes if we remember back over the contemporary era under chairman Aiyawatt 'Khun Top' Srivaddhanaprabha and long-standing director of football Jon Rudkin. This time it is a different but equally modest appearing release clause which has haunted the Foxes once again. Specifically, a separate midfield is the latest important asset to potentially depart Filbert Way for a relative pittance.
But are the LCFC powers-that-be at actually causing their own problems by being ignorant or misguided? Or did they manage to cleverly secure a further integral player by certain means like promising an exit If the right opportunity arises? There are, as per usual, two ways of looking at this complex situation. One vision has the Foxes ownership and executives looking rather sage and slightly powerful. The other, on the contrary, makes Top and Rudkin appear well out of their depth or to be receiving poor advice.
I still haven't got over N'golo Kante leaving Leicester for £32 million. With what he had already shown, achieved and went on to do, that fee was nightmarish. Even though City almost raked in a 500 per cent profit, the Kante debacle is still spoken about.
The France World Cup-winner had a relatively low release clause inserted in his LCFC deal. That possibly occurred due to having to convince him to come to Leicestershire to begin with. That means then-owner, the late, great 'Khun' Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha, along with Rudkin and Steve Walsh (Snr), technically pulled off a transfer coup.
Has a modest release clause haunts Leicester City midfield once again? Or do the Foxes have a sage recruitment department and contract negotiators?
Leicester have enjoyed Wilfred Ndidi's service for around eight-and-a-half years. Understandably these days, his clause is a mere £9m, reportedly. He also likely agreed to a few more seasons if his own demands were met.
"Earlier reports from talkSPORT claimed the Nigerian international could be available for as little as £9 million, due to a relegation release clause in his Leicester City contract."
We should, however, always remember that Leicester almost lost Jamie Vardy for approximately £22m. That was immediately after the Premier League triumph in 2016, due to another stipulation.