Leicester City should offer club-captain Wes Morgan a new deal
According to Sky Sports, Leicester City are set to offer club-captain Wes Morgan a new deal, with the 35-year-old set to be out of contract next summer.
The same report claims that new manager Brendan Rodgers is keen to keep hold of Morgan and the former Celtic boss has made it clear to the board that he wants the 35-year-old to stay beyond the end of the season.
Morgan made a whopping 380 appearances for his boyhood club Nottingham Forest before joining Leicester City in 2012. The Jamaican established himself as a first-team regular upon his arrival at the King Power Stadium and skippered the Foxes to Premier League glory in the 2015-16 season. Morgan has made a total of 292 appearances for the Foxes across all competitions, scoring on 12 occasions.
The 35-year-old has started 18 times in the Premier League this season, including Rodgers’ first game in charge which ended in a 2-1 defeat to Watford. Barring a couple of sending offs this term, Morgan has shown that he is still capable of providing solidity at the heart of the Foxes defence even at the twilight of his career.
To put things into perspective, Morgan has certainly done enough to earn a new contract at the club. Having served as one of the mainstays of the backline for the past six years, the Jamaican has already written his name in the history books at the King Power Stadium but he still has something to offer at the highest level.
Leicester’s ageing defensive options have come under scrutiny numerous times this season, with the likes of Morgan and Jonny Evans well past the 30 mark. Former manager Claude Puel attempted to bolster the backline with the signing of Filip Benkovic and Caglar Soyuncu last summer, but as things have shaped up, both the youngsters, though immensely talented, still need some time to adapt to the competitive nature of the Premier League.
While Soyuncu has been less than convincing in his limited opportunities at Leicester, Benkovic has proven his mettle on loan at Celtic this term and Rodgers, having already worked with the Croatian, should include him in his plans for the upcoming season. Harry Maguire continues to be a reliable presence at the back but Leicester need to find a way to increase competition for places at the back next season.
With the likes of Soyuncu and Benkovic still relatively new to English football, having Morgan in the ranks for the next season would not only provide Rodgers with the right kind of balance in the squad but would also buy the others some more time to settle down. Morgan has always been a great athlete and a great leader in the dressing room. He is still very fit and there is no reason why the Foxes should not offer him a new deal.
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The baton has to be eventually passed on to the younger players, with Morgan likely to play a diminished role in the first-team next season. However, his charismatic presence is still an invaluable asset to the Foxes.
