At the beginning of the season, it is fair to say that not many fans would have know about Ben Chilwell.
The 21-year-old had played for The Foxes for the two seasons prior to this one, but it is only this term that the left-back has captured the attention of many fans in the league, as well as England manager Gareth Southgate.
A number of threatening displays for Claude Puel’s men this season saw Chilwell earn his first England cap against Switzerland in September, and since then he has started the Three Lions’ last three matches, including the memorable dismantling of Spain.
His ascension in the England ranks only means bad news for Leicester fans, as he will start attracting a lot of interest from the Premier League’s biggest clubs. What’s worse for The Foxes is that he plays in a position where there is a dearth of players at some outfits.
The future of Benjamin Mendy at the Premier League champions Man City is constantly a matter of debate. After the Frenchman, Guardiola has usually turned to makeshift left-backs such as Fabian Delph and Oleksandr Zinchenko. Likewise, at Tottenham, the future of Danny Rose has been an ongoing saga for almost a year now. Spurs’ bitter rivals Arsenal could also see themselves in a crisis with left-backs soon with Nacho Monreal now 32 years of age. All three would be able to afford Chilwell if Leicester were willing to let him go, and it could even create a bidding war.
This is the ideal situation for The Foxes, where they could seriously cash in on the player. Being young and English, the likes of Man City would pay an extortionate price for Chilwell. However, these are just three clubs mentioned that would clearly benefit from the services of Chilwell, not to mention countless others in England, and indeed across Europe.
While he will continue to perform for Leicester and make a good account of himself, it seems inevitable that a player so young will be snapped up by the giants of the league. The Foxes must just enjoy it while it lasts, and make use of the transfer fee.
