Leicester City Opinion: Foxes should go all out to sign Patrick Roberts this summer
According to The Sun, Leicester City manager Brendan Rodgers is eyeing a sensational reunion with his former Celtic player Patrick Roberts at the King Power Stadium.
The 22-year-old winger recently returned to his parent club Man City from his season-long spell in the La Liga with Girona, where he drew a complete blank in 19 appearances, as Girona suffered relegation to the Segunda Division.
The Sun understands that Roberts is going to be available for a bargain fee of £4million in the summer transfer window, with Man City seemingly ready to cut their losses on the talented youngster.
If Leicester are really serious about getting their hands on the 22-year-old, the Foxes would need to fend off interest from Rodgers’ former club Celtic. (h/t Sun)
Roberts was tipped for greatness when he burst onto the scene with Fulham, making his Premier League debut in the 2013-14 season as a 17-year-old. His talent and potential attracted interest from Man City, who splashed a staggering £11million to bring him to the club.
After making a solitary Premier League appearance as a substitute, Roberts was shipped out to Celtic in an 18-month loan deal, which was later extended by another season.
The talented winger reached great heights at Parkhead under the watchful eyes of then Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers, who played a key role in the player’s development.
Roberts went on to take giant steps towards fulfilling his potential over the course of his three seasons at Parkhead, racking up an impressive tally of 18 goals and 26 assists in 78 appearances for the Hoops in all competitions.
Roberts won a bagful of silverware in Scotland, including 3 Scottish Premiership titles, 2 Scottish Cups and 2 Scottish League Cups. He also scored in the group stages of both of Celtic’s UEFA Champions League campaigns, including a wonderful solo goal against his parent club Man City.
Impressed by his development at Celtic, City opted to loan him out to their sister club Girona in the La Liga last summer, with a view to providing him with exposure in a more technical league. However, Roberts failed to bag a single goal or an assist in 19 appearances and couldn’t do much to prevent his club from getting relegated.
To put things into perspective, Patrick Roberts failure on loan at Girona hardly puts a blemish on his tag as a promising youngster. Very few English players have thrived in the Spanish top-flight over the years, and given that Roberts was predominantly used in an unfamiliar central playmaking role, it would be hard to criticise him for drawing a blank.
Leicester City could bag a massive coup if they manage to get their hands on the talented youngster and bringing in a player of his calibre for £4 million would be nothing but an absolute steal for the Foxes.
The Foxes have the likes of Demarai Gray and Harvey Barnes as options down the left but right-wing is an area that certainly requires some investment, with Rachid Ghezzal failing to deliver the goods following the departure of Riyad Mahrez to Man City last summer.
A technically-gifted and elegant left-footed wide player, Roberts is at his best when deployed down the right flank, which allows him to bring his exceptional close control, quick acceleration and silky dribbling skills into play.
Blessed with an intricate first-touch and remarkable speed of thought, Roberts not only has the pace to burn and the flair to catch the eye but he also has a keen eye for picking out key passes in the final third.
To add to that, the 22-year-old is sharp and agile and is adept at terrorising full-backs with his ability to cut inside from the flanks. He creates his own space and never shies away from having a crack on goal, whilst also possessing the work-rate and stamina to track back and help out his defenders.
Leicester already have a strong core of young players in their first-team and the acquisition of Roberts would add a lot of depth and quality to the squad. From the player’s point of view, the prospect of regular minutes in the Premier League and the chance of furthering his development under Rodgers should appeal to Roberts.
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Brendan Rodgers is well aware of Roberts’ prodigious talent and he should not hesitate to strike a deal for his former player this summer in a bid to propel Leicester to greater heights in the Premier League.
