Leicester City Making Waves in the Transfer Market

05/07/21 2120

Major international tournaments can often mean a lack of activity in the transfer market and during the summer of 2021 we have both the European Championship and COPA America.

However, one English Premier League club are keen to complete their business early and Leicester City have made a triple swoop, catching many teams and fans off guard.

On Friday the 2nd of July it was announced Leicester City had completed the signing of Lille midfielder Boubakary Soumare for £17 million.

The player has agreed a five-year contract running until 2026 and became the Foxes third signing of the summer. Soumare helped Lille to the French title last season and made 40 appearances for the club, including 8 games in the Europa League.

Speaking about the move, Soumare said, “I'm really proud to come to the Premier League and a big club like Leicester.

“It's going to really help me to develop my game and progress as a player, so I feel it is the right step for me.

“Leicester is a very ambitious club. When they spoke to me about their plans and what they wanted from me, I knew straight away I wanted to come.”

In terms of what Leicester City are looking for in central midfield, Soumare is the perfect fit thanks to his ranking as one of the best in Europe for progressive passing and balls into the final third.

Soumare may operate from a defensive midfield position but his physical attributes mean he is capable of leading the transition from defence into attack and could be a fantastic signing for the Foxes.

In addition to Soumare, Leicester City have made an addition to their attack thanks to the arrival of Patson Daka from Red Bull Salzburg. The Zambian forward joins the club as previous interest in Celtic's Odsonne Edouard cooled and at £23 million, could prove a steal.

Daka scored 34 goals in 42 appearances last season to help Red Bull Salzburg win the Austrian league title and has signed a five-year contract at the King Power Stadium.

The 22-year-old said, “I'm so, so excited to join this great, historic club. It has been my dream and I'm so happy and looking forward to what's coming next.

“I have followed Leicester from the time they won the league. I feel it is the perfect place for me, because it's a team that fights for titles. I know it's not going to be easy, but I feel ready to face this new challenge.”

Daka was named the player of the season in Austria and his speed and agility should be a good fit for the English Premier League.

The Zambian boasts tremendous acceleration and has the ability to create goal scoring chances from seemingly nothing but is also adept at reacting to loose balls in the box to score.

In some ways, he is similar to Jamie Vardy and could Daka prove to the long term replacement for the Englishman?

The third signing may not be the most exciting but the addition of Ryan Bertrand will provide much needed cover at left-back and the Leicester City squad is already looking stronger ahead of the new season.