Leicester City have had a fairly decent season so far but things could get a lot harder in the coming weeks. Claude Puel is a pragmatic manager and though the team suffered defeats against Manchester United and Liverpool, they were impressive and had chances to pick up draws.
Leicester have a good squad and the ambitions should be high this season. However, they will have to keep their best players at the club. One of the players who impressed last season was left-back Ben Chilwell.
Chilwell has developed really well and seems like a long-term replacement for Christian Fuchs who is past his peak and isn’t getting any younger. The former has been linked with a move to Tottenham according to the Telegraph.
The 21-year old first made waves a couple of years ago as a teenager and attracted Liverpool’s attention as well, but Leicester managed to keep him at the club by rejecting the Merseyside outfit’s bid.
Why Leicester can’t afford to lose him
Chilwell will cost good money and Leicester will, in all likelihood, find a decent replacement for the fullback. But considering how Puel sets his team up, Chilwell is already a big part of the defensive spine at King Power Stadium.
Leicester recently tied down Harry Maguire to a long-term contract and Wes Morgan could slowly be replaced by new signing Jonny Evans in the first team. The right-back area is one where Amartey and new signing Ricardo Pereira have been rotated but you get the feeling that the latter could be a long-term option there. That gives the team a solid defence.
Chilwell can mix caution with aggression as he has enough defensive awareness and Puel’s managerial style won’t let him have an attacking starting position in the system, even if he plays at fullback. His crossing is pretty impressive and he has a good burst of pace to keep up with the agile wingers, so he is the complete package.
Chilwell’s last contract extension was in 2016 and the deal runs until June 2016, but the club should be tying him down to a better deal as well.
Winning another Premier League is out of the question, but European qualification is something Puel will target, and for that to happen, the core of the team cannot change as it’ll again create a bit of a transitioning time.
If they can keep Chilwell at the club for a few more years, away from Spurs and other top sides’ grasp, he could become an even better player and help the team progress in the league.
