A few years of scouting and a deal conducted in secret helped Leicester City secure one of their best signings in recent seasons in Mads Hermansen.
The goalkeeper joined from Danish side Brondby for £6.5m last summer and 15 months on, it looks like a bargain. Having proven his quality with his feet last season, Hermansen is now excelling with his gloves, and leads the Premier League for saves made so far this campaign.
Showing the work required to find gems like Hermansen, the goalkeeper has revealed that City’s scouts watched him for a few years, while he was playing for Denmark’s youth sides and then for Brondby. When Enzo Maresca arrived, Hermansen ticked the right boxes for what the manager wanted, and City made their move.
Hermansen said on Ben Foster’s Fozcast podcast: “I’ve been talking to the scouts. I asked: ‘Why did you pick me?’ Obviously they know everything that’s going in Europe. They’d been following me for a few years, not going every time but keeping an eye out.
“They watched me with the Under-18s, 19s, 21s, as well as in the Danish league. With Maresca coming in as manager, my profile suited quite well for him. I had some interest from other clubs. But Leicester was for sure the best option for me. It was quite an easy decision.”
He said: “There weren’t any (rumours). It was unique. It never happens. All of us just kept tight with it. We were with Brondby on a training camp in Cardiff so of course I told some of the guys there that I was leaving and that I was going to sign, but it never went out anywhere.
“Actually, on the day I signed, I read in the news: ‘Mads Hermansen is going to Anderlecht.’ I was like: ‘No, I’m not, I’ve just signed for Leicester.’ No one knew. It was quite a unique situation.”
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