Leicester: Maresca could sign “top class” Casadei partner

Leicester’s busy window looks set to continue…

• Leicester City are looking towards the Premier League for another new recruit
• The player boasts plenty of leadership qualities and would be a fine foil to Casade
• A move may only cost in the region of £9m.

Leicester City may have splashed a war chest of funds on summer recruits but the latest reports linking them to a “top class” central midfielder suggest their business isn’t stopping there.

Who are Leicester signing?

 

According to TEAMtalk, Burnley midfielder Josh Brownhill is on Leicester’s radar as they aim to bolster their squad, but the Foxes face strong competition from several Premier League clubs, including Wolves, Everton and Crystal Palace.

The 27-year-old captained Burnley for much of their title-winning campaign last term, featuring 41 times, scoring seven goals and providing eight assists with his performances for the Clarets sparking interest.

With Brownhill becoming an important player in the dressing room, Vincent Kompany has expressed a strong desire to keep the midfielder but given he only has a year remaining on his current deal, Burnley either agree to terms on a new contract or cash in now to avoid losing him on a free next summer.

How good is Josh Brownhill?

After signing the highly-rated Cesare Casadei on-loan from Chelsea, Brownhill could follow suit and form a dream partnership with the Italian.

First and foremost, Casadei and Brownhill are two different types of midfielders. While the former is known for his exquisite passing range and goal-scoring ability, Brownhill’s constant pressing and all-action performances make him the perfect type of Championship midfielder.

During the U20 World Cup this summer, Casadei finished as top scorer with seven goals, which emphasizes how effective he can be in the final third and if played alongside the Burnley man at Leicester, the 20-year-old would thrive knowing he has the energy and dynamism of Brownhill behind him to help unlock his potential in the final third.

It’s also easy to understand why Enzo Maresca would be interested in capturing Brownhill with the midfielder impressing across several passing, shooting and defensive metrics.

According to FBref, the 5 foot 11 midfielder excelled across all areas, ranking for Championship midfielders last term inside the top 5% for tackles in the attacking third (0.50), top 8% for shot-creating actions (3.70), top 10% for goals and assists (0.38), top 9% for short passes completed (23.90) and top 10% for key passes (1.81), all per 90.

While his stats paint him to be an industrious, all-action midfielder, Brownhill is also relentlessly consistent with his output as he ranked second only behind Joao Pedro for his match rating of 7.27 across the season, as per WhoScored.

 

Leicester certainly don’t lack quality in their midfield with Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, Harry Winks and Dennis Praet all playing their part in the Foxes opening two victories but when Maresca needs to a close out a game, perhaps the Italian could do with Brownhill’s energy and dynamism.

Despite having an outstanding impact on the field, his impact off it is just as important and given he helped lead Burnley to a Championship title as captain, the £40k-a-week ace would add crucial experience and leadership to a squad that is already brimming with it.

Described by Aston Villa icon, Lee Hendrie, as a “fabulous player”, £9m-rated Brownhill’s performances for the Clarets last season make it easy to see why he fits that tag and if Leicester were to successfully strike a deal for the player, he would add strength and tenacity to their embarrassment of midfield riches.