Why Leicester must make a move to sign John McGinn from Aston Villa
According to TEAMtalk (h/t The Leicester Mercury), Leicester City are interested in signing Aston Villa midfielder John McGinn.
John McGinn, 25, has adapted well to the English top-flight and has been one of Dean Smith’s top performers along with Jack Grealish, even though Aston Villa are battling relegation. The Scotland international, who moved to Villa Park from Hibernian in the summer of 2018, helped the Midlands club win promotion to the Premier League via the Championship promotion playoffs last season.
The midfielder has been a regular for Villa in the top-flight and is only just returning from injury. He has played 18 league games this term, registering three goals and two assists. With McGinn having been an impressive performer for Villa since arriving in 2018, Leicester City must make a move for him during the summer transfer window.
The Foxes enjoyed an incredible start to the Premier League campaign but lost their way in between after a few poor results in December and January. Despite that, they are sitting third in the table, four points behind second-placed Manchester City with the Premier League suspended until April 30.
Leicester City have impressed under Brendan Rodgers, especially the attacking players who have linked up very well and scored 58 goals in 29 games. Moving to midfield, they look well-stocked in that department.
In Wilfred Ndidi, Hamza Choudhury, Dennis Praet, Nampalys Mendy, James Maddison, Youri Tielemans, Daniel Amartey and Matty James, Rodgers has an array of midfield options to choose from.
But Amartey and Mendy have often struggled for game time under Rodgers and were pushed further down the pecking order this term following Praet’s arrival and the emergence of Choudhury. While Mendy has made a total of five appearances this season, Amartey has made just one, that too in the Carabao Cup. It clearly shows that they are surplus to requirements at the club.
The Foxes are in the hunt for a Champions League place this season. They are likely to finish in the top four and Rodgers will need to strengthen this summer to cope with the demands of European football. Having said that, the Northern Irish tactician shouldn’t hesitate to bolster his midfield options and a move for John McGinn would be ideal.
McGinn has endured an injury-hit campaign that has limited him to just 18 league outings. Unfortunately, he has not played since just before Christmas due to injury. The Scotsman’s influence at Villa has been massive, with Dean Smith’s side winning just three league games since his last appearance against Southampton in December.
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However, McGinn remains one of Dean Smith’s key performers and his numbers of 13 goals and 14 assists in 69 appearances in all competitions for Villa is hugely impressive.
The Scotland international is also capable of scoring crucial goals, which was evident in the game against Derby County in the Championship playoff final last season. He scored the winner in the second half that helped Villa clinch promotion.
Verdict
McGinn has truly proven himself in England in a short span of time and thus, Leicester must do everything possible to acquire his services this summer.
