Will Alves on course for Leicester City loan transfer to Championship club
Will Alves looks set for his first loan spell away from Leicester City with the teenager potentially joining Cardiff.
Alves, one of the brightest prospects to emerge from City’s academy, is ready for more senior minutes and those could come in the Championship with the 18th-placed Bluebirds. Their manager Omer Riza knows Alves already, having coached him in the England youth ranks.
Nineteen-year-old Alves had said he wanted to make 2025 his breakthrough year after he was granted his Premier League debut in the defeat to Manchester City at the end of December. While Ruud van Nistelrooy had suggested there was potential for Alves to play more regularly at City, the manager has a wealth of options who can play wide or in attacking midfield, and the teenager has not been in the squad in recent weeks.
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Former manager Steve Cooper had hoped to get Alves out on loan in the summer, but the club did not feel any of the options were right for him, and so he remained. He played twice under Cooper, in Carabao Cup matches against Tranmere and Manchester United, before coming on as a substitute against Man City last month.
While Alves has traditionally played centrally, van Nistelrooy saw him as a winger. It seems that is where Cardiff intend to play him too.
Asked what the next step for Alves was after his Premier League bow, van Nistelrooy said: “First, maintaining his training levels. He’s been doing really well in training. That’s why he’s there. He’s pushing for a place in the squad.
“What he has is speed, good feet, he can create something, powerful. It’s what we need on the wings, players who can take on one-v-ones, get balls into the opponent’s box and get past people to create chances for us. Will is capable of that. Of course, he’s very young and needs to keep working like he’s doing now.”
Alves, who only returned to fitness at the start of 2024 after more than 12 months out with an ACL tear, always had an eye on a loan spell. He said in December: “I have to continue with the confidence I have to play. I want to get as many minutes as I can.
“The more I play, the more I improve every single day. I want to play men’s football as much as possible, whether that’s here or on loan. I’m excited for the new year.”
