Leicester City has been actively looking for a Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall successor ahead of the next season. Steve Cooper appears to be prioritising a midfield acquisition to fill the void created by English player Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, who attempted to join former Leicester City manager Enzo Maresca at Chelsea. Cooper chased numerous players, including former Coventry City midfielder Callum O’Hare, who was available on a free transfer after his contract with the Championship club expired, but has since joined Sheffield United.
It was anticipated that Argentinian Matias Soule could have filled Dewsbury-Hall’s role of offering an attacking danger in midfield as well as a threat on the wing, but a deal with the Juventus attacker is improbable. Cooper also identified a Champions League midfielder with the stats to suggest he can make a huge impact at Premier League level, but a Serie A club has jumped ahead of them in the race for his services.
Atalanta rejects a third bid for Leicester City target Matt O’Riley. Leicester City were once in ‘pole position’ to recruit Celtic midfielder Matt O’Riley this summer, despite interest from Premier League rivals Everton and Southampton. Despite a third bid of more than £14 million being rejected, Gianluca DiMarzio reports that Serie A club Atalanta is the most likely to sign the Danish international. The Celtic midfielder is one to watch after scoring 18 goals and assisting 13 in his 37 league appearances for the club, including seven in his previous five games. He has also contributed three assists in six Champions League games for the Scottish giants.
Leicester City’s continued Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall successor hunt may be harmful to plans. Cooper will be well aware that his search for a Dewsbury-Hall successor has taken longer than planned, which might be hurting his pre-season plans ahead of the Premier League season. O’Riley was initially seen as a Premier League-caliber player who could provide a similar threat and style of play as Dewsbury-Hall under Maresca last season.
A player in Dewsbury-Hall’s mould will be critical for Cooper’s setup, and his absence at this time could have an impact on other players, such as Wilfred Ndidi, who rely on an offensive midfielder to play alongside. Leicester City should go all in on signing O’Riley, not only because of his high-level abilities, but also because he will fill a critical role in the side, making a huge difference and improving Cooper’s setup.
