It is not surprising the King Power side has been linked to attacking talent ahead of the winter transfer window. Although there is still time tthat o go, the picture is bleak for Marti Cifuentes' side. With only 14 goals scored across their 10 matches, with nine conceded in tandem, seldom achieving victory, and only one goal from their 'main' striker, the situation upfront requires rejigging.
To be clearer, though, Abdul Fatawu has currently got three goals, Jeremy Monga one, and Jordan Ayew one. Stephy Mavididi, Bobby De Cordova-Reid, Patson Daka, and Julian Carranza have zero goals between them. It is not saying much of your starting front three when only one of them has multiple goals this season.
Therefore, it is clear why young stars in Premier League clubs are being reported as possible targets or players of interest for Leicester City. Romain Esse is one such player being mentioned in the press. So, I will try to identify whether this talent is a good pick or not.
Crystal Palace's Romain Esse: An answer to Leicester's crisis?
Crystal Palace brought in Romain Esse from Millwall midway through the 24/25 Premier League season. Since then, the 20-year-old has featured infrequently and sporadically, with no consistent game time, and certainly not many minutes. Therefore, when judging whether this talent is worth it, I will mainly focus on his time at Millwall.
The crisis of goal-scoring at the King Power will require a progressive, defensively sound high-presser, who can also both find the back of the net and has the technical ability to link-up play. Essentially, we need another Jamie Vardy-style player or someone in the same profile as Abdul Fatawu. Monga has done well, but is still inexperienced and needs time to develop his game.
Esse is not a striker, so the player cannot fit into that woefully inadequate No.9 spot. The youngster plays either right-wing or attacking midfield most of the time, although they have occasionally played on the left. To be blunt for one moment, we have Aaron Ramsey on loan already for AM, and on the right flank, we are mostly sorted unless Fatawu gets injured.
However, stylistically Esse would suit Leicester City's current needs from the wings. When on the ball, the Englishman loves to charge at defenders and attempt to break past; when off the ball, the winger will challenge high, press hard, and try to win the ball back for the side. An explosive, defensively resolute, and forward-looking winger is exactly the style we want. Plus, his electric pace suits our progressive play style.
The numbers do not entirely reflect success in this style, though. Defensively, Esse is in the 97th percentile for wingers/AMs in tackling and makes around 4.7 recoveries after possession lost per game. That being said, the young star does cede possession around 17 times per game, is only in the 33rd percentile for progressive dribbling, and - crucially - 8th percentile for passing completion, marked by only 57% passing accuracy in the opposition half. Giving the ball away only to attempt to win it back is not really what a side defensively troubled like the Foxes should want.
Offensively, the player is obviously not yet fully developed. Across 24 games for Millwall, Esse scored every 507 minutes (four goals in total). That is the *checks notes* 57th percentile for non-penalty goals. The situation is more dire if we look at his time at Crystal Palace, being in the 2nd - only one away from worst - percentile for non-penalty xG. Esse does really well at taking on defenders and beating them, but this becomes obsessive and one-dimensional, leading to those possession losses and wasted positions. That is not that good when Cifuentes' team needs reliable final third decisions.
As so many scouts have reported, there is a brilliant raw talent there mixed with strong physical attributes. A player who is blisteringly fast, aggressive on the attack, has the vision to find space, and has shown plenty of promise as a talent that could be crucial to creating goal-scoring opportunities. Romain Esse definitely excels at finding, progressing into, and exploiting spaces, but falls short due to decision-making in those final moments, losing the ball in those great spaces too often.
Final Assessment: Hype over utility
The hype which was generated when he joined Crystal Palace has cooled. Leicester should carefully consider whether an unfinished raw talent in a non-critical position is what they need to get them back to the Premier League. Being left-footed, he would better suit Fatawu's position if we want a player who can score. From the left, the Englishman could be a great creative talent if wasteful.
My final assessment is rather simple. This is not one for our future, but one developing at Crystal Palace. Leicester City does not need an unfinished article on loan player playing out of his natural position that barely scores goals and does not accumulate much in assists. The King Power club need both a right-footed goal-scoring left-winger and a versatile centre-forward that presses from the front. Esse is neither of these.