Leicester City, six points clear of second-placed Ipswich Town and 11 points clear of Southampton in third, are cruising towards an instant return to the Premier League in an excellent Championship campaign. Enzo Maresca instantly made his mark on the Foxes, despite losing James Maddison and Harvey Barnes in the summer transfer window, and is on course to seal the title in England’s second tier.
When the January transfer window arrives in a matter of days, the former Manchester City assistant has the opportunity to improve his champions-elect even further, but that could also see some players depart. Among those who could exit is one particular forgotten man who very nearly got his move in the summer window.
Leicester City transfer news
Maresca recently spoke about the January transfer window, saying:
“In this moment, I don’t want them to think about January, even if they are probably thinking already about January, some of them, because it’s normal. We’ll see in January if some of them are coming to ask to leave, we’ll see how we can find solutions for them and also for us. The only thing I can say is that, for us, the situation is quite clear in terms of the January market. We know as a club what we need. We’ll see.”
One player who could look to leave is Dennis Praet. According to to reports from Italy, relayed by Sport Witness, Torino have initiated contact to sign Praet, who has struggled for minutes under Maresca at Leicester. Torino manager Ivan Juric’s love for the midfielder has reportedly never faded and he could finally get his man. With the Belgian’s deal coming to an end next summer, it remains to be seen whether Torino aim for a permanent deal or a loan deal come the start of the transfer window next month.
“Oustanding” Praet has stagnated at Leicester
Once a player primed to improve Leicester, Praet’s career has since stalled at The King Power, struggling to even break into Maresca’s potential Championship winners. Praet’s stats highlight his struggles. The midfielder has started just one league game and has only made the squad in six games, coming off the bench in five of those. His one start in the current campaign came in the EFL Cup in a comfortable 2-0 win over Burton Albion. If anyone needs a move, it is Praet.
It’s some fall from grace, given the praise that former boss Brendan Rodgers sent his way when he first signed.
“He is an outstanding player who fits the profile of the player we want. I felt we have a lot of defensive midfielder players, very good players but defensive in their mindset and we actually, in terms of an offensive midfield player, probably only had one of those in Youri Tielemans, so I felt we need another one. I always felt at the end of last season that we needed two attacking midfield players.
“Youri, we were able to sign, which is good for everyone, and obviously Dennis is a player we tracked and looked at, and we are delighted to sign him. He’s the right age, right profile and hopefully he can continue to develop. And everyone we spoke to, held him in real high regard, so we are delighted to get him in and he will really add to our squad.”
