Well done Puel – Leicester’s decision to complete 6-year deal for £14m star could be a masterstroke

Leicester City have made a great move by tying Wilfred Ndidi to a new contract

According to BBC Sport, central-midfielder Wilfred Ndidi has committed his future to Leicester City by signing a new six-year contract.

The Nigerian joined Leicester City from Belgian club Genk back in January 2017 for £14m under former manager Claudio Ranieri’s regime. The 21-year-old has already made 63 appearances for the Foxes and has been an integral part of their midfield since the departure of N’Golo Kante.

Ndidi started all the three games at the World Cup for Nigeria and was one of the key players in their triumph over Iceland.

Manager Claude Puel has assembled a decent team this season, bringing in defensive reinforcements in the form of Ricardo Pereira and Turkish international Caglar Soyuncu.

Rachid Ghezzal has replaced his fellow Algerian teammate Riyad Mahrez but there hasn’t been a lot of change in the central midfield area. The deal to tie Wilfred Ndidi is going to have a lot of say in deciding their Premier league fortunes.

Claude Puel has preferred a 4-2-3-1 formation this season and has started off with Ndidi and Nampalys Mendy as the central midfielders. Should Puel seek for alternatives, he has the services of Adrien Silva, Andy King and Daniel Amartey at his disposal.

However, the 21-year-old Nigerian should get the nod to start ahead of his counterparts owing to his superior work rate. Ndidi has the ability to dominate the midfield with a sense of physicality.

Ndidi is not only physically dominant but also excels in aerial duels. He has remarkable concentration and composure for his age and rarely misses out on interceptions. He has the tendency to dive into tackles on a few occasions but gets the ball more often than not. He is Leicester City’s livewire in the midfield.

Honestly, the Nigerian has all the ammunition in his repertoire to become a future star for the Foxes. He has the potential of someone like N’golo Kante and playing at Leicester, he is more likely to fulfil his potential as he will get more regular minutes under his belt.

Claude Puel has deployed Ndidi as a protector of the backline on a number of occasions and the Nigerian has shown the ability to adjust to his new role when asked to do so. In times of desperation, he can even play as a part of the backline. The only other player in the squad who can effectively show this kind of versatility is Daniel Amartey.

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With the presence of Ndidi’s energy in central midfield, Leicester City can make quick transitions from defence to attack.

Endowed with loads of talent, Leicester City can expect to reap the rewards of Ndidi’s exuberance if the youngster continues to grow in the right direction.