Marti Cifuentes' Foxes have improved in their last three outings, showing signs of a lineup which can actually fight for points as well as score goals. However, up until this point, Leicester City have struggled to impose themselves and their playstyle upon fixtures, and in the final third, they often failed to deliver goals during moments of dominance.
This has been a recurring feature of some discussions: we need better forwards who can finish the job. That being said, it has been mostly impossible to consider a strong transfer when PSR is a major concern at this time. This means the King Power Club have little headroom for transfer fees, preventing real squad-improving signings. This is why we have looked at free agents.
Why Michail Antonio is an ideal signing
One such free agent - and one many of us had not even considered - is Michail Antonio. The former West Ham forward has been training with the Foxes to display whether he has the fitness or quality after his 12 months away from club football to support the club's ambitions. We know that, as a free agent after such a significant injury, Leicester might be able to negotiate a fair deal for the player.
If we look at the current stats, our forwards (left/right wingers and strikers) have accumulated 12 goals in total, with eight of those coming from Jordan Ayew and Abdul Fatawu (only one from Patson Daka and two from Stephy Mavididi). Meanwhile, our midfield also has a total of 12 goals, led by the brilliant Jordan James, who is also our current top goalscorer. It remains clear that the front line is not firing quite as devastatingly as we might have expected before the season commenced.
Antonio does not entirely resolve the goalscoring issue. In his last 14 fixtures for West Ham, Antonio scored one goal and one assist; however, in the previous campaign with 1,711 minutes, the player achieved six goals and two assists. Those are strong returns, close to Fatawu's four goals and six assists across a similar length of time this season.
Additionally, the former West Ham man has bountiful top-flight experience, fighting at multiple levels of the game, both in dominant passages of play as well as more defensive scenarios. Leicester have illustrated the strengths of deploying this kind of experience with Ayew and Bobby De Cordova-Reid (both with four goals), who have performed well for the Foxes recently. Antonio brings an option we know has the ability, knowledge, and tactical understanding to help us progress.
With PSR being a major hindrance to the King Power side, it is vital that Leicester City make use of free agents to minimise the costs while still reinforcing the squad with experience and mentality as they look to regain dominance in the second half of the campaign. This player would have lower wages, no transfer fees, and, if on a short-term deal, could provide just the reinforcement we need while waiting for the massive changes coming in future windows.
Marti Cifuentes and Michail Antonio might both believe the player has the capabilities to bring leadership, quality, and a better mentality to the East Midlands, but the forward will need to succeed in proving his fitness. Further, only when the Spaniard is sure Antonio's condition is sound can the Foxes justify a permanent - even short-term - deal. After all, it is all well and good signing a player, but another thing entirely if they cannot play at all.
The contract talks are apparently ongoing, so it would be fruitless to speculate too much here. Nevertheless, with the wealth of experience and PSR issues as driving forces, Michail Antonio would be a shrewd signing for a side deprived of spending.