Nine transfer deals Leicester City could unlock if they pull the plug on failed deal
Odsonne Edouard has not played a single minute since Ruud van Nistelrooy arrived and that’s a problem. Leicester City cannot afford to waste one of only two permitted Premier League loan slots on a player who very rarely even makes the bench.
Cutting Edouard’s loan short would come at a price, although there is the possibility a club such as Atlanta United in MLS come forward and buy him from Crystal Palace, which would solve City’s issue. Should Edouard depart, then City will have a Premier League loan available. Here are nine players they could target.
Victor Lindelof
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City need to improve their defensive record and Ruud van Nistelrooy may feel Manchester United’s Lindelof can do just that. The Swede has only started four games this season and two of those came during van Nistelrooy’s interim spell, so there looks to be a level of trust there. However, an injury he sustained last month may mean no move is possible in January.
Tyrell Malacia
The Dutch international has reportedly been told he can leave Old Trafford with the Red Devils targeting Lecce’s Patrick Dorgu, and maybe City could offer him a temporary home. A new left-back is not out of the question this month, and while a knee injury kept Malacia from featuring for van Nistelrooy, the manager will still know him well, especially from his time at Feyenoord, where his level of performance earned him a big move to United.
Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall
Do City need a central midfielder? Probably not. But an exception could perhaps be made for Dewsbury-Hall. It feels like there’s no player who would do more to try to save the club from relegation. However, while it may once have seemed like he was destined for the exit at Chelsea, he made his first Premier League start for the club in Monday’s 3-1 win over Wolves.
Ben Chilwell
Totally out in the cold at Chelsea, could Chilwell be tempted into a return to the King Power Stadium? He would be a decent option to bomb down the left in the advanced full-back position, although there would be question marks over his fitness after such a long time without playing.
James McAtee
City came very close to signing McAtee when they were in the Championship, but he instead went back to Sheffield United on loan and proved his Premier League quality, even if the Blades were relegated. With Omar Marmoush signing for Man City and Oscar Bobb returning from injury, McAtee may be allowed to leave. And while he usually plays centrally, he can operate on the right wing, where Leicester are short of options, and where he helped create Erling Haaland’s goal at the King Power Stadium last month.
Emi Buendia
Another attacking midfielder who can play wide is Buendia. After a year out, he’s been back involved at Aston Villa this season, although not all that often, and so the Argentinian may be keen on more regular football elsewhere.
At his best, Buendia is a terrific playmaker, and maybe City could help him rediscover his top form. And if there’s talk of Leeds being interested, surely City could tempt him too.
David Brooks
A great ball carrier, and a player who can be counted on to provide goals and assists, Brooks would be an ideal loan recruit for the right wing. But his availability may depend on Bournemouth’s injury situation.
He only started one Premier League game before Christmas, but has now started four, with strikers Evanilson and Enes Unal joining wingers Marcus Tavernier and Luis Sinisterra in the treatment room, prompting a reshuffle in attack. If Tavernier and Sinisterra return to fitness soon, perhaps City can make a late push for Brooks.
Ben Mee
This would be quite some story, given City first had Mee on loan 14 years ago. He’s highly valued in the changing room at Brentford, even if he doesn’t play often, so it may be a difficult deal to do.
He’s 35 too, and another older defender is perhaps not ideal for City. But he is left-footed, which would give City something different, and it cannot be doubted that he knows how to defend and how to put his body on the line.
Carlos Vinicius
Very briefly, van Nistelrooy was in charge of Vinicius at PSV. But just two appearances into the striker's second season on loan with the Dutch club, and his first under van Nistelrooy, Benfica pulled the plug so they could sell him to Fulham. Third-choice behind Raul Jimenez and Rodrigo Muniz, Vinicius looks like being one of the few senior strikers available in the Premier League.
His goals record is questionable, and his reputation seems to survive off one 24-goal campaign for Benfica, albeit he did get a creditable six goals and six assists in his first season at PSV. Maybe van Nistelrooy would feel he could get the best out of him.
