Leicester City supporters in the Transfer Tavern are eagerly anticipating the 2018/19 Premier League season, what with their side seeking to build upon their solid ninth place finish last time round.
The Foxes made a sluggish start to the campaign which ultimately cost Craig Shakespeare his job, paving the way for Claude Puel to make a return to English football a few months on from being sacked as Southampton manager. And the Frenchman did a fine job in leading the Midlands outfit away from the bottom three and to a top half finish, although the pressure was building on the 46-year-old given his side won just five of their 18 Premier League games in 2018.
Nonetheless, there are many expectant and indeed optimistic Leicester fans up and down the country ahead of the new season, and they are likely to be interested by recent reports linking Yannick Bolasie with a move to the King Power Stadium.
The 29-year-old Everton winger only returned from a year out with injury back in December but was then unable to produce the goods for the Toffees in the second half of the campaign, netting just once in 16 Premier League appearances.
His future at Goodison Park appears uncertain heading into the final few weeks of the window to the point that the Foxes are reportedly keen on the DR Congo international, and were Puel’s men to indeed land the £16.2 million-rated ace (as per Transfermarkt), it could spell bad news for these TWO Leicester stars…
Marc Albrighton enjoyed a pretty solid campaign at Leicester last term in netting twice and laying on seven assists for Puel’s side, although he quite simply doesn’t carry the same level of threat as Bolasie does.
The ex-Aston Villa man appeared 34 times in the Premier League for the Foxes last season to suggest that he is a key part of the squad at the King Power Stadium, but he is more of a solid option to have down the flanks, as opposed to the more explosive and tricky Bolasie.
As such, were Bolasie to move to the club this summer, we could see Albrighton play even more regularly at right back, having done so in his final two appearances of last season.
There is little doubting that Demarai Gray has a huge amount of talent and potential, but it simply hasn’t been seen on a regular enough basis in the last few years.
The 22-year-old made the move to Leicester back in January 2016 and has since then played 99 times for the Midlands outfit, although he has only mustered six goals and laid on just 11 assists in that time.
And while he appeared 35 times in the Premier League last season, only 17 of those were starts to suggest that Puel doesn’t quite trust him enough to regularly start him in his team.
And that game time is only likely to suffer even more were Bolasie to move to the King Power Stadium.
