A stunning new report has revealed that one Leicester City star is set to quit the King Power before the end of the January transfer window after a bust up with head coach Ruud Van Nistelrooy.
Leicester a club in crisis
It is safe to say that Leicester City are currently a club in crisis. In the Premier League relegation zone, they have lost seven consecutive Premier League games under Van Nistelrooy, and despite the January transfer window having been open for over three weeks they have made just one signing.
Games
11
Wins
2
Losses
7
Goals Scored (Per game)
1
Goals Conceded (Per game)
2
As per the Athletic, “concerns over breaching profitability and sustainability rules (PSR) linger and have hampered Leicester’s planning” for the January market, but the club have since escaped sanctions and could look to strengthen in the final days of the transfer window, though money is still expected to be tight in the Midlands.
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There is a further complication over Van Nistelrooy. It is claimed that “part of his negotiations before agreeing to take over from Steve Cooper just 12 games into the season was that there would be funds available in this window”.
That is yet to happen, with the Foxes only signing Woyo Coulibaly so far this winter, and desperately short in attack as things stand.
In the other direction, they have sold Tom Cannon to Sheffield United after a successful loan spell at Stoke City, and now they could be forced into another sale before the end of the window following a shock bust-up with the Dutch head coach.
Shock as Leicester ace set to depart
That comes courtesy of a report from the Telegraph, who point to summer addition Caleb Okoli as the player in question. The Italian centre-back arrived from Atalanta just six months ago, but has managed just 48 minutes of football under Van Nistelrooy to date, and is yet to start a game for the Dutchman.
Hailed as a “really good” ball-player who “looked like the real deal” in their Carabao Cup win over Tranmere Rovers in August, Okoli has failed to kick on and now a fresh twist has left him set to depart.
That is because of a bust up between him and Van Nistelrooy following his side’s 2-0 defeat to Fulham. As per the Telegraph, “Van Nistelrooy turned on Okoli” because of “his choice of football boots”, suggesting that “they made him frequently slip over”.
Okoli, who was an unused substitute in the defeat to the Cottagers, was left “stunned” by this and has since “demanded a meeting with Rudkin”, with the consequence now that he appears “certain” to leave this month before the deadline.
Signed for £13m just months ago, it is unlikely that Leicester will be able to recoup that fee should they sell now, which means that a loan may be the best option for the Foxes if Okoli has decided that his future lies away from the King Power Stadium.
That in turn would leave the Foxes short at the back for the second half of the season, and could explain why they are now targeting a centre-back in the final days of the window.
