Why Leicester should return for Ozan Kabak in January
With injuries piling up for Leicester, Brendan Rodgers is in a spot of bother. Caglar Soyuncu, Timothy Castagne, Ricardo Pereira and Daniel Amartey are all sidelined with various injuries and are expected to return after the international break or even later. Only recently has Jonny Evans recovered from his injury but is likely to be thrown into the mix very soon, with very few defensive options available (source – Leicester Mercury).
That means defensive reinforcements should be a priority in January. Earlier this season, Leicester were linked with Ozan Kabak (source – Daily Mail). The club should look to reignite their interest in the Schalke man to boost their defence.
Profile
Ozan Kabak joined Galatasaray’s academy back in 2011 and caught the eye across youth levels before signing his first professional contract in 2017. He made his first-team debut during the 2017-18 season and went on to feature 17 times in all competitions in the first half of the 2018-19 campaign.
The 20-year-old centre-back earned rave reviews for his performances in the group stages of the 2018-19 UEFA Champions League. That paved the way for a switch to the Bundesliga with VfB Stuttgart in January 2019. Kabak quickly established himself as a regular starter in Germany and finished the campaign with 15 league starts.
The Turk switched boats to join Schalke last summer and made 28 appearances in all competitions over the course of an impressive debut season, scoring thrice in the process (source – Transfermarkt). Having already represented Turkey across U-16, U-17, and U-18 levels, Kabak made his senior international debut back in November last year and has since accumulated 4 caps to his name.
Leicester need Kabak in January
As mentioned earlier, Leicester are in a bit of a defensive crisis at this point, with several of their defensive players on the treatment table. While Wesley Fofana’s addition did help the cause, Leicester need younger options at the back. Wes Morgan is 36 and Evans is 32. That leaves Soyuncu and Fofana as the two other options.
Kabak would be a great signing in that regard. The 20-year-old already boasts of an excellent CV for a player of his age. Kabak is very much a regular starter in the Bundesliga. He has also impressed in the Champions League, which clearly outlines his enormous potential as a footballer. The centre-back has also broken into the Turkey national team and looks destined to achieve big things in the future.
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He looks capable of taking his game to a new level under Brendan Rodgers’ watchful eyes. With that in mind, Leicester making a move for the promising Turk would be an excellent bit of business to buff up their backline.
