If a deal for Jarrell Quansah is completed, Harry Souttar may be able to leave the King Power Stadium for the first time.
According to Alan Nixon, Leicester City has taken a closer look at Liverpool center-back Jarrell Quansah.
The Foxes are reportedly looking to sign a central defender during the January transfer window in order to strengthen their squad and give them the best chance of regaining promotion to the Premier League at the first time of asking.
Although Wout Faes, Jannik Vestergaard, and Conor Coady are all excellent options at this level, their depth could determine whether they secure a top-two spot or not.
Leeds United will have been encouraged by Leicester City’s back-to-back losses before the international break, and some teams, including the Whites and Southampton, may believe they still have a chance of securing automatic promotion.
With less than half of the season remaining and much to play for, the January window could make a significant difference.
Why should Leicester City beef up its central defense?
If Patson Daka leaves, they could benefit from adding another full-back and a striker to their squad, but Enzo Maresca should also assess his center-back situation.
Coady, Doyle, Faes, Harry Souttar, and Jannik Vestergaard are all available in this position, but Doyle spent part of the season at left-back and could replace James Justin once he recovers from a knee injury.
With this in mind, the Foxes will lack depth in central defense if injuries occur, which is likely given that they are currently battling through a grueling 46-league game season.
There could also be suspensions, so Top Srivaddhanaprabha is unlikely to be opposed to investing in a new centre-back, especially given how much money they made from player sales during the previous transfer window.
With Leicester having room for another loanee, Quansah could be a cheap and suitable addition.
How might Leicester City’s potential signing of Jarrell Quansah help Harry Souttar?
Given that Quansah will be competing with Souttar, some will argue that the former’s arrival will be detrimental to the latter.
Souttar’s game time may be limited even if Quansah is not at the club.
If one of Faes or Vestergaard becomes unavailable, Coady will most likely fill in, and Doyle can also play there if Maresca wants to keep Justin in the starting lineup.
The arrival of Quansah could force Souttar out of the first-team squad entirely, at which point Souttar would be fully justified in requesting a transfer.
It appears that Souttar requires someone to force him out of Leicester’s squad in order for him to move on and kickstart his career.
Although there is still a chance he can force his way into Maresca’s starting lineup, it doesn’t appear that it will happen anytime soon, and at this critical juncture in his career, he needs to try to secure an exit from King Power Stadium.
Souttar’s departure could be sealed if Quansah arrives, even if only on loan.
