Leicester City have been busy in the transfer window recently, adding in sprinkles of new quality here and there, ahead of their return to the Premier League.
The likes of Caleb Okoli, Bobby Decordova-Reid and Michael Golding have now all joined the Leicester ranks, whilst news surrounding Wilfred Ndidi staying put at the King Power Stadium on a new contract will also have the feel of a new signing buzz, to Steve Cooper and Co.
Ndidi could even line up alongside a new partner in central midfield if the newly promoted side manage to pull off an ambitious swoop.
Leicester looking for Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall replacement
According to a report by TEAMTalk, Leicester are looking to sign £25m+ Celtic midfielder Matt O’Riley this summer and find themselves in a pole position to do so.
Other reports from Football Insider indicate that Atalanta might have more financial muscle to get a deal over the line, alongside their reputation in Serie A as a top club working in their favour potentially over Leicester fighting against the Premier League drop-zone.
Still, according to TEAMTalk, the allure of the Premier League could well be what sells O’Riley on a switch to Cooper’s men over a foreign adventure out to Italy, with Leicester keen to add the in-demand 23-year-old to their roster in a bid to find a swift Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall replacement.
What O’Riley can offer Leicester
O’Riley has lit up Scottish football for a number of seasons now and could be exactly what the Foxes need in getting over the heartbreak of their ex-homegrown product departing for Chelsea, as Leicester strive to build the best possible squad to stay afloat in the top flight.
Much like the departing Dewsbury-Hall, O’Riley has been a constant goalscoring threat from the centre of the park for the Brendan Rodgers’ men across his two-year stay with the Hoops, meaning he could well be the perfect replacement.
The “wonderful” 23-year-old – as he was labelled by Rodgers during the 23/24 season – has accumulated a mightily impressive 27 goals and 34 assists from 121 clashes in Glasgow.
37 of those goal contributions came about just last campaign in all competitions, as O’Riley regularly wreaked havoc on defenders for the Scottish giants.
| O’Riley vs Dewsbury-Hall | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Player | Games | Goals | Assists |
| O’Riley @ Celtic | 121 | 27 | 34 |
| Dewsbury-Hall @ Leicester | 129 | 17 | 20 |
| Sourced by Transfermarkt | |||
As can be seen glancing at the table above, O’Riley could perfectly make up for Dewsbury-Hall’s impressive output no longer being present, therefore, alongside also offering Cooper’s men another body in defensive midfield if needed, as the Denmark international is capable of rolling his sleeves up and playing dirty alongside attacking confidently.
It could be viewed as a gamble for Leicester to bid such a high amount for the on-fire Hoops midfielder though, considering he has only played in and around the EFL for Milton Keynes Dons and Fulham when previously plying his trade in England, with the Premier League a different kettle of fish altogether.
Yet, the Celtic number 33 could now be ready to make that gigantic leap, with Leicester in dire need of a creative and adaptable presence centrally, to complement the likes of the combative Ndidi and the well-rounded game of Harry Winks.
Therefore, Cooper and Co could go all out to try and win the 23-year-old’s signature soon, in order to make a statement ahead of returning to the promised land of the top division