Leicester City’s deal for Conor Coady raises big concerns over summer business: Opinion
The signing of Conor Coady to Leicester City raises questions over their summer transfer plans
Leicester City’s transfer business is now getting into gear following the sale of James Maddison to Tottenham.
The £40 million received in the deal will go a long way to funding the addition of a number of new players as the Foxes look to build a side that can compete for promotion.
Maddison was a great servant for the club over the last five years, but a sale made the most sense for all parties given he only had one-year left on his contract and was attracting interest from big teams in the Premier League.
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But Leicester are quickly moving on with deals for Harry Winks and Conor Coady being made.
Both are Premier League experienced players that will bring some quality to the team that should help their promotion bid.
However, the addition of Coady in particular is a bit more worrying the more that you dig deeper into the move.
A deal has been agreed with Wolves that is reportedly worth £7.5 million, with the potential for it to rise to £8.5 million if Leicester gain their Premier League place back this season
Will Conor Coady be a good addition to the Leicester City squad?
Coady is now 30 and is coming off a poor campaign with Everton.
The defender featured 24 times for the Toffees in the league, initially becoming an important part of Frank Lampard’s dismal side.
But Sean Dyche quickly moved to place the centre back out of the team, making just six appearances under the new Everton boss.
The Premier League side held a £4.5 million option to buy clause in their loan deal with Wolves for the player, but turned down the opportunity to sign him on a permanent basis.
That Everton turned it down should be warning sign number one for Leicester, with the second being that they have now overpaid for a player that was worth nearly half what they’ve agreed to sign him for when loaned out a year ago.
The defender is not a Premier League calibre player and does not have a long-term future at the heart of Leicester’s defence.
He may have what it takes to bring the team back up this summer, but that is a lot to pay for someone with a limited ceiling, given there are certainly better options available with smarter recruitment.
Leicester cannot afford to make poor decisions in the transfer market as it can set the team back in their promotion push and the financial position of the club isn’t healthy enough to absorb sunk-costs.
Coady is also a poor fit in a back-four, which often highlights his weaknesses. He is also not the most comfortable in possession in this system and is far better in a three, which will not be ideal for Enzo Maresca’s style of play.
This appears to be a poor fit at a poor cost, which is a worrying sign for Leicester’s long-term strategy in the transfer market.
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