Noni Madueke celebrates victory during the Dutch Eredivisie match between Heracles Almelo and PSV Eindhoven. (imago Images)
According to Leicestershire Live, Leicester City have been linked with a transfer move for Noni Madueke. The teenage winger had a stellar time at PSV Eindhoven last season and is now on the Foxes’ radar. The report even goes on to claim that Leicester would be at an advantage if PSV fail to secure Champions League qualification.
Madueke came through Crystal Palace’s youth system before transferring to Tottenham Hotspur’s youth academy during his early years. From there, he was snapped up by Eindhoven in the summer of 2018. Since then, the London-born winger has made quite an impression for himself, but is he a player that Brendan Rodgers needs at Leicester?
The Foxes have quite a stellar team. Their performances last season supports that statement and they only narrowly missed out on UEFA Champions League qualification on the last day of the campaign. But somehow, the club is quite short of players on their flanks, especially for this season.
That is due to the fact that the club will be without Turkish international, Cengiz Under, and Rachid Ghezzal. The 29-year-old Algerian winger, Ghezzal, has left the club on a permanent deal to join Besiktas in Turkey. Under, on the other hand, is back at AS Roma after the expiration of his loan deal at the King Power Stadium.
Ayoze Perez, who has often played down the centre throughout his career, started for the club on the right flank against Wolves on gameweek 1 of the new season. Apart from him, the club has Marc Albrighton- a veteran right-midfielder- who can play in that position. But Leicester’s faith in the Englishman seems to be dwindling.
He has failed to start more than 50% of the club’s league games in a season since the start of the 2018/19 campaign. Last season, he completed 90 minutes in the Premier League on just 9 occasions. He was also an unused substitute against Bruno Lage’s men on gameweek 1. So, Albrighton, who turns 32 later this year, may not be as trusted as he was earlier.
The case is similar for Leicester down the left-hand side. Harvey Barnes, the 23-year-old English winger, has extended his stay at the club until 2025. But apart from him, the club cannot boast of a natural left-winger to play backup to him. In light of this, it seems almost necessary that Rodgers gets a dynamic winger to strengthen his attack.
Madueke can be just that. The 19-year-old starlet can play down the right-hand side to offer the Northern Irishman an option for when he wants to rotate Perez or even Albrighton. Moreover, he can also allow other players, who would have otherwise played on the right-wing, to deputize for Barnes on the left flank when the Englishman isn’t available for selection.
Moreover, Madueke is already a tested player in one of Europe’s top leagues. He has played 44 senior games for the Dutch side already, scoring 15 times and providing 9 assists. The English teenager can be a smart option in the short term to provide competition to other players, and would be a smart long-term acquisition if signed.
