Ruud van Nistelrooy explains two criteria Leicester City transfers must meet in 'delicate' hunt
Ruud van Nistelrooy knows Leicester City must tread a “delicate” balance in the transfer window in order to protect the long-term future of the club.
City are yet to make any January signings, despite their position in the Premier League’s bottom three. Fans are growing restless, feeling City need to strengthen at full-back, centre-back, out wide and up front.
Meanwhile, their relegation rivals are busy. Ipswich have loaned Ben Godfrey from Atalanta and are on course to sign Aston Villa winger Jaden Philogene for £20m, while Wolves have brought in Ivorian international defender Emmanuel Agbadou for £16m.
READ MORE: Club confirm 'overseas transfer' as right-back statement sparks Leicester City theory
READ MORE: Ndidi, Hermansen, Vestergaard – Leicester City injury update for QPR FA Cup tie
While it’s last season’s accounts that are currently being assessed in regards to the Premier League’s Profit and Sustainability Rules, City have to be careful not to fall foul of them in future seasons too. That means getting their business right.
Van Nistelrooy has stressed that each signing has to fulfil two criteria. They have to be able to fit the playing style he has developed in order to help the team now, but they also have to benefit the club in the long term.
“We’re right in the middle of the process,” van Nistelrooy said at his press conference on Thursday. “It’s clear what we want and where we want to strengthen. We’re working on that day and night.
“I feel a strong responsibility to get the right players in, and in the right positions where it’s important for the squad and for the club in the long term. It’s a delicate process. It takes time. It requires a lot of effort and work to bring in the right guys at the right time.
“It’s important because the situation we’re in demands we have to do better. It's the development of the current players and if there are players who fit in the picture and the style of the play, and can make the club better in the long term, then we have to do it, and can do it.”
While van Nistelrooy has not specified which positions he is looking to strengthen, he has previously suggested that City need to cover for injuries in the squad. That points to a new right-back and a new right-sided winger coming in, with Ricardo Pereira and Abdul Fatawu both out long term.
The manager added: “What I’ve tried to do here with the coaching staff over the past six weeks has been creating a style of play, and players who fit into that are the profiles who can make our play better and can get us to better results. Those are the profiles we have been talking about with recruitment and with the people responsible for signing these players.
“That’s all been cleared and done. The search began in mid-December. Hopefully we can present something soon but it has to be the right thing.”
