In what has to be the most damning example of Leicesters flawed transfer spending under Jon Rudkin, the U23 side that narrowly beat Scunthorpe in the Checkatrade trophy last night cost £46m in transfer fees.
Watched by just over 800 people the side included Iheanacho - believed to have cost £25m alone and who wasn't even wanted by Shakespeare at the time. Iheanacho has to be one of the best examples of how the club has wasted huge sums of money on players that they now can't fit into the side. Slimani being another example - that's a combined £55m for a strike partnership that never plays
It's a far cry from the title winning blue print - £400k on Mahrez, £1m on Vardy, £1.5m for Drinkwater and James combined. Quite why the club decided to use the title winning money and prestige to follow a
Completely unsuccessful policy of chucking money away on players we don't need I've no idea but with January coming up let's hope lessons have been learned.
Probably wishful thinking.....
The £46m Checkatrade Trophy Team
posted on 6/12/17
Rudkin reminds me of an old fashioned failed politician.
Regardless of there faults and errors,and no matter how much wasted,actually thinks they have done a good job.
Why is he still here?
posted on 6/12/17
Add in the Silva fiasco, and one wonders whether he's actually responsible for these purchases.
posted on 6/12/17
I totally forgot you guys signed Iheanacho.
Has he actually played?
posted on 6/12/17
comment by If anyone can, Emre Can (U3979)
posted 6 seconds ago
I totally forgot you guys signed Iheanacho.
Has he actually played?
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A couple of games - mainly sub appearances. We can't really fit him in and didn't need him to be honest
posted on 6/12/17
comment by Black Starr (U12353)
posted 22 seconds ago
comment by If anyone can, Emre Can (U3979)
posted 6 seconds ago
I totally forgot you guys signed Iheanacho.
Has he actually played?
----------------------------------------------------------------------
A couple of games - mainly sub appearances. We can't really fit him in and didn't need him to be honest
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Are Musa and Slimani still with you guys?
posted on 6/12/17
Yeah, Slimani has been unlucky not to play more to be honest. Musa is just terrible.
posted on 6/12/17
I still don't really get what's wrong with Musa. He was a fine player in Russia, a regular in the Nigerian national team, yet put him in a Leicester shirt and he has the first touch of a lamppost. It feels like there must be a better player in there somewhere but I doubt we're ever going to see it at this club.
The Checkatrade trophy team was fascinating to me. I would assume that Puel was there, watching some of the players that he either has doubts about or wants to learn more about. And yet tellingly, despite both Iheanacho and Ulloa starting the match, it was two youngsters who scored our goals.
I hope Iheanacho doesn't turn out like Musa because we know there's a much better player in there than what we've seen. Every time he's stepped on the pitch for the first team this season he's looked completely uncoordinated with his teammates, like there are 10 players on the pitch plus Iheanacho. Quite why this is remains something of a mystery. My best guess is that he's struggling to integrate into such a different style than he's learned and trained with at Man City, and perhaps isn't finding the number 10 role as easy to adapt to here as he first hoped. The only way through it is hard work and belief in yourself. Right now, Iheanacho looks like a player who is out of the latter.
posted on 6/12/17
Ian is multiple times better than Musa Dunge.
He’s a natural goal scorer and fine striker. However I fully agree he’s looked lost in our team so far. I really don’t know why!
Musa to me looks like one of those players who could be decent by leveraging his pace and reasonable ability but his confidence is utterly shot and he’ll need to kick start his career elsewhere.
I’m still hopeful we’ll see the best of Ian yet. Surely he’s too good for us not to?
Back tot the OP. I totally agree we seem to be getting our transfer policy wrong. It’s more critical than ever that Puel has a big influence on who we look to bring in in Jan and the summer. He has a clear idea how he wants to play and he’ll know what he is missing.
Let’s watch our recruitment team carefully and see if they can meet his brief.
posted on 6/12/17
Regarding the Jan window.
Message to Vichai/Top, put Claude in charge of transfer deals. Send rudkin on a months gardening leave in January. Come back on 1st Feb.
As for the Checkertrade trophy, its a good chance for
Slimani, Ulloa , Musa and others to get game time.
and its a trophy that we are still in. Sure everybody will want to go to Wembley id we get to the final.
UTF
posted on 6/12/17
The answer to the musa and to a lesser extent iheanacho problem is simple for me - square pegs in round holes
Iheanacho may say he prefers a number 10 role but the guy is a no.9 all day long. Walcott says he wants to play upfront but we all know he isn't a natural goalscorer. Ian showed at Man City how lethal he is in the box - the problem here is we don't need another no.9 and if Vardy isn't available then he isn't really the kind of striker to run in behind
In short he just isn't what we need. Had he gone to another prem team then I'm sure he would be flourishing, but like Kramaric before him, his career will do no good here
Musa is similar but an even worse case. The striker who stole the ball off the Barcelona back line and put two past them is long gone. Played hopeless out of position by Ranieri and in a team that was underperforming the guy lost his confidence within weeks and it's never come back. He wasn't ready for a straight swap to the premier league and certainly not to a club that was in a real mess when he joined. It's the kind of transfer decision that ruins a career and for his own sake he needs to leave.