Leicester City
Leicester battling PL rivals to sign £8k-p/w rock who could save Van Nistelrooy’s job
Leicester City supporters would have been hopeful that an exciting new era was on the horizon when Ruud Van Nistelrooy took charge of the Foxes back in November after Steve Cooper’s tenure had fizzled out.
Instead, the Dutchman looks to already be on borrowed time in the King Power Stadium dug-out, with the former interim Manchester United manager not taking to the pressures of a relegation battle whatsoever having now overseen seven Premier League losses in a row.
He will be trying everything in his power to turn around this sinking ship, however, with one or two positive January additions potentially helping him cling onto his precarious job post.
Leicester targeting additions at the back
As per recent reports from Spain, Leicester look to be targeting a move for CD Leganés goalkeeper Marko Dmitrovic this January in an attempt to shore up at the back.
The East Midlands strugglers aren’t the only lowly team from the Premier League looking to snap up Dmitrovic, however, with Wolverhampton Wanderers also named in the article as a suitor for the Serbian shot-stopper.
What Dimtrovic could offer Leicester
Leicester will hope they can beat Vitor Pereira’s men to this coveted signature, knowing that the Foxes’ woes at the back stem from Mads Hermansen’s absence from the side, with Van Nistelrooy’s usual number one goalkeeper out of action since the middle of December through injury.
Therefore, picking up the £8k-per-week Leganes man could stop the goals from flooding in, and in tow, keep the under-fire 48-year-old in his unstable position for far longer.
Indeed, across this depressing month to date, the relegation candidates have leaked six strikes in Premier League action from three games, with a further 12 strikes conceded in late December after Hermansen was substituted off mid-way through the Newcastle defeat.
| Dimtrovic’s league performances for Leganes in January | ||
|---|---|---|
| Stat | Espanyol | Atletico Madrid |
| Minutes played | 90 | 90 |
| Saves made | 4 | 3 |
| Goals prevented | +0.22 | +0.67 |
| Goals conceded | 1 | 0 |
| Stats by Sofascore | ||
Whilst the likes of Danny Ward and Jakub Stolarczyk have collapsed under the strain of being Leicester’s number one between the sticks, Dimtrovic has revelled in the joy of being Leganes’ main man in goal this month, with just one goal given up across his two standout La Liga showings.
In total, the in-demand Serbian has only shipped 22 strikes all campaign long, with his unbelievable display at the Camp Nou last month helping Borja Jiménez’s men beat the Catalan giants 1-0.
Dmitrovic prevented 2.25 goals from rippling the back of his net across the course of the eventful 90 minutes, even as the likes of two of Europe’s premier forwards in Raphinha and Robert Lewandowski routinely burst forward in an attempt to gift their side a much-needed advantage.
He could take to the stresses of a basement battle in the Premier League well, therefore, with Van Nistelrooy having to seek out alternative faces in goal now, with the Foxes up to a worrying 48 goals shipped from 22 league games. To add context, only Ivan Juric’s Southampton have conceded more at 50.
If he doesn’t turn around his lowly team’s fortunes soon, Van Nistelrooy will begin to look more and more like a dead man walking, with transformative January buys needed to stop the current rot and to stave off an immediate return to the Championship.
