Why Leicester City signing William Carvalho would be a good move
According to a report from Portuguese outlet O Jogo (h/t Leicestershire Live) Real Betis midfielder William Carvalho, who is a transfer target for Leicester City, could be sold this summer for £14m.
Carvalho, 28, is a product of the Sporting Lisbon academy. Apart from a couple of loan spells away at Fatima and Cercle Brugge, the Portuguese spent his entire professional career at Sporting, making 193 appearances. He left the club in 2018, joining La Liga outfit Real Betis.
Since joining the club, Carvalho has grown into a key player, racking up 52 appearances till date, in which he has 5 assists. The defensive midfielder has featured just 9 times in 2019/20 though due to injury problems.
Leicester City’s season so far
Leicester City, meanwhile, have enjoyed a fine campaign in the Premier League. The Foxes are currently third in the standings and look primed for a top-four finish when the season resumes.
Brendan Rodgers has done a fine job in his first full season as the manager, with the team enjoying good success in attack and defence. However, for the team to sustain this success, they must invest in the squad in the summer transfer.
And the defensive midfield position is one where Rodgers and Leicester should look to strengthen ahead of next season. The first-choice holding midfielder, Wilfred Ndidi has been brilliant this season. The Nigerian has been key to the Foxes’ ascent to third place.
However, Leicester lack options to provide cover for the 23-year-old midfielder. Hamza Choudhury is an option but is still lacking experience.
The other two choices at Rodgers’ disposal – Daniel Amartey and Nampalys Mendy have made just six appearances between them due to injuries. In addition, the latter’s contract is set to expire at the end of this season.
Therefore, the Foxes need to bring in a new defensive midfielder so that there is quality cover for Ndidi in the squad. William Carvalho, in that regard, would be a viable option for the Premier League outfit to recruit.
The 28-year-old is a veteran of almost 300 career appearances, in which he has scored 14 goals and created 22. Moreover, Carvalho has made 59 appearances for the Portuguese national team and was a key member of the side that won Euro 2016 as well as the 2019 UEFA Nations League.
Such experience would come in very handy for Leicester, especially if they qualify for the Champions League next season. His addition would further increase competition within the squad, which would lead to improvement in other players’ performances.
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Verdict
Leicester need to add quality and depth to their defensive midfield department ahead of next season. More so, considering that they are likely to be playing European football. Hence, signing an experienced individual like William Carvalho would go a long way in helping Rodgers and his side in the next few seasons.