Should Leicester City let Leonardo Ulloa join Brighton & Hove Albion on a permanent basis?
Leonardo Ulloa re-signed for Brighton & Hove Albion on a temporary loan deal in the recently concluded January window. Come summer, there will be the question of whether or not the Seagulls should sign him on a permanent basis and if they decide to do so, it remains to be seen if Leicester would be open to the thought of losing one of their experienced strikers. However, if latest reports are to be believed, the striker himself is keen on joining his former club permanently.
Ulloa found his game time further get limited once Claude Puel took charge as manager and he made merely 7 substitute appearances under him. At 31 years of age, Ulloa is certainly not getting any younger and he needs to spend enough time on the field to ensure he is at the top of his game.
Since he was not receiving that at the King Power Stadium, it made sense for him to switch to Brighton on a loan. And now that he wants to make it permanent, it might not hurt the Foxes to actually let him leave. The player was clearly starved of game time at Leicester and one cannot really blame him since Jamie Vardy continues to be a force to reckon with.
Moreover, they also sent out Islam Slimani and Ahmed Musa on loan moves which will expire in the summer, meaning Leicester will not face a shortage of backup options even if they do let Ulloa leave. Moreover, he seems a lot happier with the Seagulls and has scored quite a few goals for them in the past.
Ulloa was always known as a firm fan favourite at Brighton and the supporters were more than happy to welcome the former player back to the club last month. There is no doubt that they will be equally happy if he were to sign a permanent deal with them once more, thus resulting in a win-win situation for all parties involved. Ulloa may be on the wrong side of 30 but he boasts of immense potential and still has so much to offer at the top-level.
In addition to that, Brighton can benefit greatly from the experienced striker’s presence. They have been doing just enough to survive in the top-flight and avoid the relegation zone. At present, the Seagulls are sitting in the 14th spot and are merely 2 points ahead of the drop zone. However, having a reliable figure like Ulloa will undoubtedly boost their confidence and performances and perhaps he can help Chris Hughton’s men survive this season.
Also, the Foxes appear to be doing quite well without him so it is not like his absence will affect their displays. Hence, the club should definitely allow Ulloa to join Brighton on a permanent basis in the summer.