Why Leicester City should prioritise a new deal for Jonny Evans

According to The Athletic (h/t Leicestershire Live), Leicester City have opened negotiations with veteran defender Jonny Evans over a new deal to extend his stay at the King Power Stadium beyond the summer of 2021. 

As per the report, both parties are willing to agree to a deal and talks are expected to reach a positive conclusion in the coming months. Evans has previously hinted that he’s open to the idea of putting pen to paper on fresh terms in East Midlands.

Evans deserves a new deal at Leicester

Jonny Evans has proven himself to be a massive bargain for the Foxes since his £3million move to East Midlands from West Brom in 2018. The Northern Irishman was an undisputed starter at the back last season, starting all 38 PL fixtures as Leicester romped home to an impressive 5th-place finish in the Premier League and secured a much-awaited return to Europe. 

Despite his advancing years, Evans has continued to be a key cog in Leicester’s backline in the ongoing campaign as well. After being sidelined for three games due to a back injury, Evans recently returned to the starting XI and helped the Foxes to a merited clean sheet in a 1-0 win over Wolves heading into the final international break of 2020.

That Evans has featured 80 times in all competitions in just more than two full seasons clearly underlines his status as one of the mainstays of Leicester’s starting XI. Besides his obvious quality as a centre-back, the former Man United star remains an invaluable asset to the Foxes with all his years of experience at the highest level. 

Suffice to say, the 32-year-old has done more than enough over the past couple of years to earn a new contract at Leicester City. The Foxes need to keep hold of their star players if they are to consolidate on their impressive finish in the PL last season and Evans still has plenty of football left in him. 

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Verdict

The Foxes have some top-quality young defenders like Caglar Soyuncu, Wesley Fofana and James Justin competing for places and they are only going to get better with time. To that end, having a veteran like Jonny Evans in the mix will help Brendan Rodgers strike a fine balance between youth and experience in his backline.

The Northern Irishman remains an excellent central defender in his own right and a new deal for him should be an absolute no-brainer for Leicester.