The Foxes are allegedly looking to sign a Championship playmaker before the transfer deadline.
Following Leicester City’s relegation to the Championship, a number of players left the club at the end of the 2022/23 season.
Who has departed Leicester City in the summer?
Caglar Soyuncu, Daniel Amartey, Youri Tielemans, Ayoze Perez, Jonny Evans, Nampalys Mendy, and Ryan Bertrand were all released by the King Power after their contracts expired.
The club then opted to cash in on two of their star players as Harvey Barnes and James Maddison were sold to Newcastle United and Tottenham Hotspur respectively.
Enzo Maresca could unearth the Foxes’ next version of the now-Spurs star by securing a deal for reported transfer target Ilias Chair to bolster their attacking midfield options ahead of the remainder for the season.
The Morocco international is a proven Championship star who has the ability to unlock opposition defences on a regular basis to be a Maddison-esque figure for the club.
Last season, Chair showcased his exceptional passing quality as he created 12 ‘big chances’, assisted nine goals, and registered 2.4 key passes per game across 38 league starts for Queens Park Rangers.
Maddison, meanwhile, assisted nine goals, created 12 ‘big chances’ and provided 2.3 key passes per match across 30 Premier League appearances for Leicester last term.
No other player managed more than five assists or 1.4 key passes per outing for the Foxes and this suggests that the England international’s exit left a significant creative hole within the squad.
Chair could come in and fill that gap as he is one of the most inventive midfielders in the Championship, which was proven by his performances last season.
In fact, he ranked within the top 3% of his positional peers throughout the division for shot-creating actions (5.09) and Expected Assisted Goals (0.28) respectively per 90.
These statistics, along with his chance creation numbers in relation to Maddison’s, suggest that Chair is an outstanding attacking midfielder who can split open the opposition’s backline to provide his teammates with opportunities to score at an incredible rate.
However, Maddison also offered a goal threat as the ex-Norwich star found the back of the net ten times in the Premier League last term.
Chair, who was once hailed as an “exciting” prospect by ex-Brighton forward Glenn Murray, only scored five Championship goals in that time but did manage nine and eight respectively over the two previous campaigns.
He may not be able to reach double figures for goals in the same way that Maddison did.
However, the Moroccan whiz can chip in with strikes whilst also being a phenomenal creator for his teammates week-in-week-out.
Therefore, Maresca could unearth Leicester’s new Maddison by signing the £7k-per-week gem to be his chief playmaker at the King Power this season.
His presence in midfield could allow the likes of Stephy Mavididi, Jamie Vardy, and Kelechi Iheanacho by providing them with high-quality opportunities in front of goal, which could then improve Leicester’s chances of winning matches to fight for promotion.
At the age of 25, the QPR star would also arrive with time to grow and develop under Maresca’s coaching, and would, therefore, be a long-term signing as well as one that would immediately improve the team’s creativity.
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