Why Leicester City must sell out-of-favour striker Islam Slimani this summer
Leicester City striker Islam Slimani’s future is in doubt at the club and will probably remain undecided until the end of August, according to Leicester Mercury. The Algerian has failed to harness the kind of impact expected of him upon arrival.
Leicester Mercury’s report further states that the Foxes have received various offers for the striker to take him on loan but the club is adamant to sell him. They have slapped a price tag around £18m for the player, despite spending around £29m to acquire his signature.
The Algerian international has netted 8 goals in 35 appearances thus far, an underwhelming return for a striker who has the potential to be a threat for most defenders.
Here’s why Leicester City should sell him and spend that money elsewhere:
Puel’s system won’t fit him
Claude Puel’s system is quite contradictory to Slimani’s natural game. The Frenchman’s 4-2-3-1 formation requires a striker who can make runs in behind a defence on the counter-attack, just like Jamie Vardy does. Moreover, the manager’s tactics require a striker with a high work-rate to keep the opposition centre-backs busy on the ball.
Meanwhile, Slimani is more of a ball-to-man player, who will hold off defenders and wait for runners to come on the break. He doesn’t have the required stamina and mental strength to press the opposition and match Vardy’s hunger.
Hence, there is a mismatch as to what the manager wants from the striker and what he will receive. For that reason, offloading a player who is clearly surplus to requirement will make sense for Leicester City. They can even lower the price a bit to get the deal and spend that money on buying a new player if possible.
Verdict
It is a situation where it’s pretty obvious that Claude Puel won’t use Slimani much next season. So, it will be silly on Leicester’s part to retain a player who might not even make the bench for them.
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For the 30-year-old too, it will be an opportunity to go elsewhere and complete the last part of his career by playing regularly. Hence, Leicester should offload Slimani this summer.
