Ex-PL Striker thinks Leicester overpaid for worst signing

Darren Bent made the ridiculous comments as part of his TalkSport punditry. I have to say, the 40-year-old former Tottenham Hotspur and Ipswich Town attacker has really let himself down during that commentary. Having suggested Oliver Skipp was the worst signing of the season - a few matches into the league season - and even having the audacity to mention Chelsea’s signing of Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall as a possible contender reeks of being a sore loser.

Bent suggested the reasoning behind his comments as being around the price Leicester City have paid to secure the signing of Skipp. £20m is a lot of money for any player. However, bare in mind the reality of the Foxes’ situation: they needed to rebuild a midfield, and prepare for the style Steve Cooper was looking to employ. £20m is not a lot for a long-term signing.

Leicester City’s Skipp Analysed

So, let us have a look at what the English midfielder brings to the King Power, and why the Welshman needed the player to complete his midfield. Firstly though, a point the former Premier League player could have made: we do have a rather large number of players in that position and role. Leicester now have Skipp, Harry Winks, Boubakary Soumare, Wilfred Ndidi, and Hamza Choudhury that all take that defensive midfield position.

Although they cannot all play, it is clear from a structural understanding what Cooper needs Skipp to be. The Foxes play with two defensive midfielders at a time, and usually both are expected to take a progressive and retentive role alongside needing a positional awareness for defending. This is why the Leicester academy graduate Choudhury has not played a minute of EPL football: he does not provide a balance.

Meanwhile, the former Tottenham midfielder - Skipp that is - offers a brilliant balance. On defence, the player likes to drop back between centre-backs to help reduce attacking space, shield defenders, and provide an initial jumping point for breaking a press and progressing the ball to creative players. This is reflected in his tackling and link-up play with other midfielders.

This link-up is particularly tight with Winks. The pair of them are excellent passers of the ball, love to dictate the tempo, and as they have two of them gain additional freedom to progress the ball while the other tends to the shielding side of the DM role. Cooper was right to bring in Skipp to go alongside Winks and a more creative talent.

Oliver Skipp may well be an expensive signing, but he was a necessary one. He fits the system well, links up well with Winks, passes competently and neatly, and offers both progression and defence in balance. That does not sound like the worst signing of the summer. Bent got this one very wrong.