Tuesday 3 January 2017 17:45, UK
Struggling Leicester City have signed Wilfred Ndidi from Genk to bolster their midfield - but what will the £15m man bring to Claudio Ranieri's side?
The Nigeria international is just 20 years-old and likely to be an unknown quantity to many Foxes fans.
Here, with the help of WhoScored.com, we take a look at whether he has the attributes to help get the defending Premier League champions back on track...
N'Golo Kante's summer departure to Chelsea has left Leicester with a gaping hole in the middle of the park that neither Daniel Amartey, Andy King nor Nampalys Mendy have been able to fill alongside Danny Drinkwater.
Even when all four are fit and available, none possess quite the same energy and bite in midfield that Kante offered the club last season.
But Ndidi, already capped a handful of times at international level, is the sort of midfielder that the team has missed.
Given Kante produced both the most tackles (4.7) and interceptions (4.1) per game in the Premier League last season, it's little wonder Leicester have struggled without his ability to break up play so frequently. No side averaged higher figures for either metric last season, but the Foxes have fallen to 14th in terms of tackles (16.6 per game) and 12th for interceptions (14.2) this time around.
Their liking for a player that has achieved quite remarkable figures in both regards in the Europa League should come as little shock then.
Ndidi has averaged a whopping seven tackles per game across six appearances - which is well ahead of his closest rival on 5.7 - along with 4.8 interceptions per match. Despite such high numbers, the youngster isn't one to just dive into tackles though, and, like Kante, he looks to stay on his feet whenever possible, harrying opponents into mistakes.
An aspect of the former Leicester middle man's game that was often overlooked last season was his contribution to their attacking moves, and the Nigerian can also weigh in in that regard.
Ndidi has scored twice in the Europa League this season, netting in both matches against strong opposition in the form of Athletic Bilbao, and bombs forward well to help provide options in the final third. Indeed, his average of 1.8 shots per game in the tournament is the second highest for Group F winners Genk.
While the youngster perhaps doesn't offer the same composure in possession as Kante, with a modest 79.5 per cent pass accuracy despite attempting the most passes per game (57.7) for his side, there is even an aspect where he would be more effective than his potential predecessor.
Standing at 6ft 2in he has a considerable height advantage on the former Foxes fan favourite and has utilised his frame to full effect - only one midfielder won more aerial duels in the Europa League group stage.
With all that in mind, Ndidi's WhoScored.com rating of 8.19 for his performances in the Europa League rank him fourth out of all the players to have featured in the group stage.
Leicester have been quick to jump to the front of the queue for his signature - and Ranieri may just have found the right man to replace Kante and shield his back four.
