Enzo Maresca has penciled in a January transfer window meeting with ‘room to improve’ for Leicester City.
The Leicester City manager will meet with the club’s hierarchy this week to discuss the club’s plans for the January transfer window and the potential for improving the squad in the coming year.
Enzo Maresca will meet with the Leicester City hierarchy during the international break to discuss the club’s January transfer plans as he looks to strengthen his squad.
City entered the November break atop the Championship table, but Maresca’s mantra is that they can always improve, and that extends to the squad’s composition as well. The recruitment team and director of football Jon Rudkin will now meet to discuss the type of business City wants to do and has the capacity to do.
“I always say the same thing: there is always room for improvement,” Maresca said last week. “So there’s room to improve even in that (the transfer window).” We are still in November and it’s still early, but this international break we can sit with the club and discuss a little bit. We haven’t had any conversations yet.”
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City attempted to sign a new midfielder before the summer transfer window closed, with Manchester City’s James McAtee at Seagrave ahead of a move before Sheffield United swooped in and took the England Under-21 international back to Bramall Lane. But that doesn’t mean City don’t want a new midfielder.
Dennis Praet’s back injury prompted interest in McAtee, but the Belgian is now back in training and should be back on the field by the end of the month. Even with Wilfred Ndidi away for a month at the Africa Cup of Nations in January, Maresca can call on winger Yunus Akgun, who has played in a central role, and the manager has high hopes for teenage talent Will Alves as he returns from injury.
City may be looking for a new left-sided defender. Maresca said it’s the one position on his team where he doesn’t have two options after Callum Doyle was ruled out until January due to knee surgery. Although James Justin has filled in admirably, the manager prefers a left-footed player in the role to assist with building attacks from the back.
City have been linked with Villarreal forward Ben Brereton Diaz, but even with Kelechi Iheanacho and Patson Daka at Afcon, and the latter potentially leaving in January, they still have Jamie Vardy and Tom Cannon up front, as well as Stephy Mavididi, Abdul Fatawu, and Kasey McAteer on the wings.
Goalkeepers Daniel Iversen and Danny Ward, who have both made just one appearance this season, could also leave, but Harry Souttar, who nearly moved to Rangers in the summer, has said he will stay and fight for his place.
