Why Ali Akman would be a good future investment for Leicester City
According to Turkish website Fotospor (h/t Leicestershire Live), Leicester City are keeping close tabs on Turkish teenager Ali Akman.
The 17-year-old striker currently plies his trade with Turkish outfit Bursaspor and was handed first-team action following the side’s relegation from the Super Lig (first division) last season.
His impressive displays in front of goal had caught the attention of the Foxes, who had sent scouts to monitor the young talent, the reports claim. Despite being so young, Akman’s excellent display in front has helped his side climb to third place in the second division.
Rising through the Bursaspor ranks, Akman has now grabbed the limelight by racking up four goals and providing one assist from 18 matches across all competitions this season.
However, he has a contract with the Bursaspor until the summer of 2021 and is also scouted by Leicester’s Premier League rivals Manchester City and Turkish giants Fenerbahce.
Meanwhile, Brendan Rodgers Leicester City are in the lookout for a new striker with the side currently having just two centre-forwards in Jamie Vardy and Kelechi Iheanacho.
Veteran striker Vardy has been pivotal to Leicester’s success this season, scoring 19 goals and assisting four times in the league. The Englishman is the league top goal-scorer and has helped his side grab the third place in the league standings.
However, he turned 33 last January and is not getting any younger. The Foxes clearly need someone to replace their star striker, who has been doing a commendable job for them in the past few years.
Iheanacho, meanwhile, has been growing in stature and has impressed whenever given an opportunity. He has found the back of the net three times and has given four assists from the 12 appearances that he has made so far.
But the Nigerian has not been a consistent performer over the years and everything depends on form.
Moreover, even if Leicester decide to make Iheanacho their first-choice striker, they need a back-up for him and Akman would be an appropriate fit. Having said that, it is crystal clear Leicester lack enough strikers in their ranks.
Hence, their interest in young Akman makes complete sense. Moreover, Leicester need quality finishers up front if they wish to stay on top in the long run.
Verdict
In young Akman, Leicester have a suitable future replacement for their star man Jamie Vardy. Also, a proven performer Akman would be a cheap buy for the Foxes given the fact that he will turn just 18 next month. Hence, Leicester should continue their pursuit of the teenager and land him soon.
