Yahoo Sport 
What Steve Cooper craves as Leicester City's squad of extremes hints at January transfer plan
There’s 18 years between Leicester City’s top two goalscorers this season and that not only provides an insight into Steve Cooper’s preferences, but potentially the club’s January transfer business too.
At 37, Jamie Vardy is the oldest scorer in the division this term, the City skipper three years more senior than second place. Facundo Buonanotte, 19, is the third-youngest goalscorer in the Premier League.
That split in age is evident across the squad. City have handed appearances to four players aged 21 or under and six players aged 30 or over, putting them in the division’s top five on both counts. For players in their peak years, those aged between 22 and 29 inclusive, City have fielded 12, with only Manchester City and Newcastle using fewer.
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At City, it creates a squad of extremes but maybe a balanced one too. Cooper values the qualities that the young and experienced bring and says it’s a necessity to have both mixed into the same squad.
In the summer, City signed nine players, with six of those either under 21 or over 30. Jordan Ayew, at 34, was the oldest player signed by a Premier League club for a fee, the Ghanaian costing a potential £8m. The fee seemed steep for a player whose better years are expected to be behind him, but his two injury-time goals have gone some way to justify the expenditure.
When Ayew and Vardy combined to net the equaliser at Ipswich, Cooper praised their composure. Their experience allowed them to handle the desperation of the situation.
If that experience is going to help City win out in their battle to avoid relegation, it may be that more senior players are sought in the January transfer window. But they will need to be balanced out.
Speaking before the international break, Cooper said: “Knowing what we need in the squad to be able to do what we want to do is inclusive of the likes of Facundo and Abdul (Fatawu). They have youthful wonder, they take all these risks, they're who they are and they do loads of good things.
“But then at the other end of the scale, we need the know-how that we have with Vards, that we have with Ricardo (Pereira), and we wanted to add to that part of the game, with Jordan and Bobby (De Cordova-Reid). We have a nice mix. It’s about what they pass on, not just what they do themselves. They can be good role models.
“You need it (the mix of ages). I get asked questions about Facundo and I get asked questions about Vards and Jordan and that’s typical of our squad at the moment. We have everything in between too, with players becoming senior players.”
City have a choice when January rolls around. Do they start to fill out the middle, buying peak-aged players, who may be more expensive, or do they continue to add to the extremes and fulfil Cooper's craving?
