Why Kyle Joseph would be a good addition to the Leicester City squad
According to The Sun (Leicestershire Live), Leicester City are keen on signing young striker Kyle Joseph from Wigan Athletic.
Wigan are desperate to offload a few of their players after going into administration as they continue to look for a new buyer. That said, Brendan Rodgers’ Leicester City are in the hunt for Wigan’s 18-year-old striker Joseph, who will be available for a considerably low fee. A Wigan academy product, Joseph was promoted to their senior squad just last summer.
Though Joseph has not made his Latics first-team appearance, he did give a fair glimpse of his goal-scoring prowess after netting two goals from three games in the FA Youth Cup competition this season. The teenage talent was on target against the under-18 sides of Tottenham and Birmingham before losing 2-1 away to Manchester United in the sixth round of the competition.
Joseph is also a member of Scotland’s under-19 side and has one goal for the side from his six appearances so far.
Joseph could be a future replacement for Leicester veteran Vardy
Meanwhile, the Foxes have enjoyed a rather successful league campaign so far and are sitting fourth in the table (at the time of writing). Much of the Foxes’ success this season has been the sensational form of their star striker Jamie Vardy.
The veteran goal-scorer is currently the leading goal-scorer in the Premier League with 23 goals under his belt, proving that age is just a number. However, he turned 33 last January and it’s high time the Foxes found a suitable long-term replacement for their star striker.
Apart from Vardy, Leicester have Kelechi Iheanacho and Islam Slimani as a back-up but the two have clearly not reached the standards that Vardy has set at the club over the years. Though Iheanacho has improved considerably this year, scoring 5 league goals from 18 matches, he has a history of inconsistency and this will hurt the side in the future if they wish to stay at the top.
Slimani, on the other hand, turned 32 last month and has never really managed to establish himself at the King Power Stadium. The Algerian veteran has spent a major share of his time with the Foxes out on loan.
Considering all this, Leicester’s decision to make a move for rising talent Joseph seems like a step in the right direction. The young Scot could also prove to be an excellent future replacement for Leicester’s star striker Vardy if he fulfils the promise and potential he has shown so far.
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Verdict
With Vardy and Slimani already past their thirties now, it would do Leicester a world of good to rope in a young face like Joseph to lead their attack in the coming years. Moreover, he is still in his teens and can develop under the guidance of a coach like Rodgers.
