Leicester City have a key few weeks coming up following the departure of star player Riyad Mahrez. After a bit of sulking last season, he still managed to play a key role for the Foxes and his move to Manchester City for a fee of £60m has left a gaping hole in the Leicester squad.
Leicester have a few talented players in Kelechi Iheanacho and Demarai Gray, but to make sure the club don’t move backwards, they need to sign an able replacement for Mahrez.
Recent reports from Le10sport reveal that the Foxes are eyeing a move for Monaco winger Rachid Ghezzal.
Monaco lifted the Ligue 1 title in 2017 but couldn’t stop some of their stars from leaving. The likes of Bernardo Silva and Kylian Mbappe departed and Monaco were left with a lot of money. They decided to replace Silva with Ghezzal but the Algerian hasn’t been able to impose himself.
Rachid Ghezzal –A good replacement for Mahrez at Leicester?
In terms of style, Ghezzal will remind many of Mahrez. Of course, he is a left-footed winger who likes to cut in and make things happen. But unlike Mahrez, Ghezzal still has a lot of work to do with regards to his finishing and final pass.
Last season, Ghezzal struggled for starts and made as many as 19 appearances off the bench for Monaco. He started just seven times. His overall numbers weren’t the best either as he mustered just two goals and three assists in 26 games; a meagre return to say the least.
Mahrez, on the other hand, had mustered 12 goals and 10 assists and alongside Vardy, was one of the reasons why they finished in the top 10.
Mahrez had the ability to create something out of nothing with his tricky feet and he had the composure to deliver the final ball or finish when he had just the ‘keeper to beat. That is something Ghezzal isn’t known for.
His passing can be better as well. Last season, Ghezzal managed a passing accuracy of 76.7% in the league.
Under Claude Puel, Ghezzal will very likely be playing in a reactive setup, so he’s got to make the most of his opportunities on the break when Leicester break forward. It’s a system the Foxes have thrived in for the last three years and a lot of the players are pretty used to it.
At 26, Ghezzal still has a few years left before he hits his peak, so he needs to settle down quickly if indeed he does move to Leicester.
