Leicester City have shown the sale of Harry Maguire last summer to Manchester United was not the devastating blow many pundits expected it to be.
The defender’s price tag of £78.3 million, according to Transfermarkt, showed two different clubs doing business. One was a side happy to spend a hefty sum for a player regarded as England’s best defender despite a number of apparent limitations.
The other was a club excited to cash-in for the right price and use the funds elsewhere to produce a team that could contend for a Champions League position.
After 13 gameweeks, it is easy to see which team got the better of the deal. Leicester City are second in the Premier League and just eight points off of league leaders Liverpool. Manchester United, on the other hand, are inconsistent and sit ninth.
The proof of Leicester City getting the better deal lies in the defensive statistics put up by both teams. Leicester City lead the league in the fewest number of goals conceded with just eight. It is seven goals fewer than Manchester United.
Brendan Rodgers has used the pairing of Jonny Evans, a Manchester United reject, and Caglar Soyuncu in central defence this term. Soyuncu slide into Maguire’s position without any issues. After spending a season bedding into the team and league, Soyuncu has developed into a top centre-back.
Soyuncu cost Leicester City £18.99m, according to Transfermarkt. The club’s scouting was spot on and the defender has helped Leicester City keep six clean sheets in the Premier League.
Maguire’s Manchester United have kept just two Premier League clean sheets this term (of course one was at Old Trafford against Leicester City). The Red Devils defence has conceded at least one goal in their last eight league games.
Last weekend’s 3-3 draw against Sheffield United was one of the worst displays the Manchester United defence has had all season. Despite the Red Devils clawing back three goals to take a 3-2 lead late in the game, the defence allowed the Blades to score an equaliser in second-half stoppage time.
Although Leicester City signed midfielder Youri Tielemans and forward Ayoze Perez prior to Maguire’s exit, his transfer fee to Manchester United covered the two players’ fees.
Tielemans cost a reported £40m, a club record, while Perez arrived for £30m. Perez has four goals and an assist in 12 league games. Tielemans has three goals and three assists in 13 league games and is finally fulfilling his potential which eluded him at Monaco.
Leicester City’s work in the transfer market last summer was brilliant and offloading Maguire for nearly £80m to Manchester United has turned out to be highly beneficial and not a step backwards.
Will Leicester City win the league? It could happen, but most certainly they will end the term ahead of Manchester United in the Premier League table.