Leicester City Opinion: Foxes should beat Southampton to sign Tom Rogic
According to the Daily Express, Leicester City and Southampton are set to go head to head in a transfer tug of war over Celtic midfielder Tom Rogic in the summer, with reports claiming that Foxes’ Brendan Rodgers is eyeing a sensational reunion with his former player.
The Express also understands that Celtic are keen to keep hold of the 26-year-old Socceroos star, who is currently one of the club’s most prized assets, and the Hoops have slapped a price tag of £15million to ward off the potential suitors.
The same report claims that Leeds United had failed with a £5 million bid for Rogic earlier in the season, with Celtic refusing to let go of their influential playmaker on the cheap.
Rogic was signed from A-League club Central Coast Mariners for a fee believed to be around £400,000 back in January 2013 during Neil Lennon’s first stint as the Celtic manager. The Hoops would, however, look bag a massive profit on the 26-year-old if the Premier League clubs do want to lure him away from Parkhead.
The Australian international has established himself as one of the best players in the Scottish Premiership in due course of time and has racked up a total of 165 appearances for the Hoops in all competitions till date, accumulating 35 goals and 29 assists in the process. He has been a bit inconsistent this season and has spent time on the sidelines due to injury problems but has still managed to contribute with 3 goals and 5 assists from 17 appearances in the Scottish Premiership.
To put things into perspective, Tom Rogic has a wonderful profile at Celtic and he would be an ideal signing for either of the two aforementioned clubs. However, Brendan Rodgers’ connections with the player might give the Foxes an upper hand in this deal and Leicester should look to get one over the Saints by striking a deal for the 26-year-old this summer.
Standing at 6ft. 2 inches with a well-built frame, Rogic is essentially a central attacking midfielder by trade but he has the versatility, physical attributes and the range of passing to operate as a central midfielder as well. The Aussie is not too quick but he can be a handy player with his technical abilities on the ball and good range of passing.
The 26-year-old knows how to combine his good close control, balance and dribbling skills with his upper body strength to create space in the midfield, often using his frame to ride off challenges and making dangerous runs into the box to catch the opposition off guard.
However, two of his key attributes are his vision and distance-shooting. Although he is primarily a left-footed player, he is known for his ambidextrous nature and it has become a familiar sight in Scottish football to see Rogic find the top corner of the net with pile drivers from outside the box. Furthermore, he is a clinical finisher in front of goal and has proven that he is more than capable of winning games for his team with crucial strikes.
Leicester already have someone like James Maddison as their first-choice playmaker and it is highly unlikely that Rogic, or anybody for that matter, would replace the former Norwich City man as the team’s designated No.10 next season. Maddison has done exceedingly well this season but the Foxes can certainly do with another playmaker in their ranks to maintain the balance of the squad and increase competition for places.
It is still unclear whether or not they will be able to sign the hugely influential Youri Tielemans permanently, and even if they do manage to strike a deal for the Belgian, the Foxes can look at Rogic as a useful squad player.
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Rogic has all the attributes to make a big impact in the Premier League and Leicester need a big enough squad to excel on all fronts, taking into consideration the demanding and hectic schedule of the Premier League and the domestic cup competitions. That said, they should not hesitate to sign the 26-year-old Socceroos star from Celtic.
