A new manager can mean a new start, and there are plenty of players at Leicester City who would welcome one. Here’s a rundown of five players who may have their careers at the King Power Stadium reinvigorated when there’s a new boss at the helm.
Harry Souttar
Perhaps unfairly, Souttar did not get a look-in under Maresca. It was deemed by the Italian that the other defenders in the City squad had greater quality on the ball and were more suitable to the way he wanted to play. A fall down the pecking order nearly led to the Australian joining Rangers, but instead, he stayed at the club, barely making the bench.
But despite what Maresca thought, Souttar is decent on the ball. He’s also far quicker than you’d expect of a centre-back of his size and he’s strong in the air too. If he can learn to bring his international goalscoring form to club level and attack the box as well as he does for Australia, then the club will have a real asset on their hands too.
Plus, if he is to be sold, it will need to be for a significant amount for it to go in the books as a profit. On that basis, he is worth considering by the new manager.
Victor Kristiansen
Bought in the same transfer window as Souttar, Kristiansen found himself out of favour after Maresca opted not to play with traditional full-backs. He wanted the Dane to play like James Justin and Callum Doyle, as a left-back out of possession but as a left-sided centre-back in it. Kristiansen wasn’t happy with that and left for Bologna.
And he’s had a very good season, helping the Italian side to finish in the top five of Serie A and qualify for the Champions League, with his never-say-die attitude and his endeavour in supporting the attack have both been praised. If a new manager comes in and plays with a more traditional back-line, Kristiansen is worth another look.
Boubakary Soumare
Another player who had been out on loan is Soumare, and as with Kristiansen, he’s been well-received at his temporary home. Sevilla can’t bring him back because they can’t afford him, but the suggestions from Spain are that they would have preferred to keep him.
An inconsistent performer at City, moments where he lacked concentration cost the Frenchman a run in the side. But as he matures, maybe those aspects of his game will improve. Because there are a lot of other attributes that make him worth a look for the prospective new manager, especially his powerful driving runs through the midfield and into the final third.
Conor Coady
It’s not that Coady has been out of the picture, but he’s definitely not played as much as he nor anybody else anticipated. When signed, Coady was expected to be the stalwart at the heart of the defence every week. But injury allowed Jannik Vetergaard in and he made the role his own, meaning Coady made just eight league starts.
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