Why Leicester City should send Josh Knight on loan next season
According to The News (h/t Leicestershire Live), both Portsmouth and Peterborough United are interested in Leicester City defender Josh Knight.
A Foxes academy product, Knight has only featured once for Leicester’s senior team and has played 57 times for their under-23 side. Of late, the 22-year-old centre-back has mostly spent time out on loan with League One side Peterborough United.
Knight left for Peterborough in the second half of last season and impressed for the lower-division side with 8 appearances that saw him being recalled on loan once again last summer. He featured 24 times for Peterborough this term before coronavirus stopped play.
Despite being a centre-back, Knight mostly played as right-midfielder this season and racked up three goals and four assists to his name, giving a fair glimpse of his talent. Having proved himself already at such short notice in the lower division, both Peterborough and their rivals Portsmouth are now keen on securing Knights services for the next season – most likely on loan.
Knight surplus to requirements at Leicester City
Meanwhile, Knight has a year left to run on his current contract at the King Power Stadium and is behind centre-backs Caglar Soyuncu, Jonny Evans, Filip Benkovic, and veteran Wes Morgan in the side.
Soyuncu and Evans have formed a formidable defensive partnership for the Foxes this season under new manager Brendan Rodgers. Their rock-solid displays at the back have seen Leicester climb to an impressive 3rd place in the league table.
They also offered a one-year contract extension to club legend Wes Morgan recently. He still remains an inspirational figure in the current line-up. Benkovic, on the other hand, is a future first-team prospect. He had spent the second half of the season on loan with Bristol City in order to get more game time.
With Rodgers having with Soyuncu and Evans at the back and also enough back-up in his side, young Knight seems surplus to the club’s requirements. Hence, it wouldn’t be such a bad idea to send him on loan for one more season. It would only contribute towards the development of his game.
Rather than keeping him in the side without offering him any game time, it would be better if he gets more first-team experience. This, in turn, will be useful for Leicester in the future.
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Verdict
Leicester have an established centre-back partnership that has helped the side improve a lot this season. They also have enough depth in their back-line. Hence, losing Knight would not hurt them much next season. Another loan deal for the Foxes graduate seems like the best option at the moment.
