According to the Daily Star, Leicester City star Andy King could be set for an extended stay at the King Power Stadium, with new manager Brendan Rodgers still unsure of the midfielder’s future at the club.
The player has had an initial conversation with the manager but the Daily Star reports that Rodgers will take his time till the end of the season and maybe beyond that to assess his options heading into the upcoming campaign.
The manager has made sent a clear statement that King’s future at Leicester might not be over, despite falling out-of-favour and spending time on loan at Derby County and Swansea City in recent times.
It is quite obvious that King has a special place in the hearts of all the Leicester fans around the globe, having joined the club in the lower echelons of League One and helped them rise through the divisions to Premier League glory in 2015/16 and Champions League quarterfinals in the following season.
The 30-year-old has scored 61 goals for the Foxes from 375 appearances in all competitions and has been a key figure in their journey through the divisions over the years.
Meanwhile, Leicester have made a bright start to life under Brendan Rodgers, with the Foxes managing three wins out of three in the Premier League in recent weeks.
To put things into perspective, Rodgers should be looking to post a significant challenge for a top-seven finish next season, having made a wonderful return to the Premier League as a manager.
Rodgers would need to reshape his squad in the summer and a mini-overhaul might be on the cards as the manager looks to bring in some reinforcements, whilst getting rid of deadwood to reduce the wage bills would also be on his priority list. And Andy King should definitely fall in the latter bracket.
Well, King is a big fan favourite at Leicester and offloading him could prove to be a bit of a risky proposition for Rodgers as his departure might not go down well with some of the fans.
However, one needs to understand that although King has been a stalwart behind Leicester’s rise to the highest stage, he lacks the technical abilities to make a significant impact in the Premier League.
His dogged work-ethic and tough-tackling nature make him a player well suited to the Championship and he has struggled for regular minutes in the top-flight ever since Leicester got promoted.
Also, the Foxes are already pretty well-stocked in central midfield, with the likes of Nampalys Mendy, Wilfred Ndidi and the young and promising Hamza Choudhury in the ranks.
While Vicente Iborra and Adrien Silva have left the scene, two of the three aforementioned players have been used quite regularly by Leicester in the Premier League and it is hard to see how King can be an upgrade on any of them.
Yes, Ndidi and Mendy have looked a bit pedestrian when they have been teamed up alongside each other but the arrival of Youri Tielemans has helped the Foxes improve massively in terms of creativity and cohesion in the middle of the park.
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Hence, retaining the services of Andy King would be a step backwards for Leicester and Rodgers should concentrate more on striking a deal to make Tielemans’ stay permanent. It might sound harsh to many but King, 30, is still far from a spent force and his interest would be better served by moving to a new club.