Arsenal talk should not tarnish Youri Tielemans as he tries to solve Leicester City problem

Just shy of 12 months ago, Youri Tielemans scored one of the best goals in Leicester City’s history to win them the FA Cup for the first time in their history. It was the crowning moment of a campaign for which he rightly won player of the season.

Now, there is audible frustration at his performances from inside the King Power Stadium. Plus, there is a growing feeling among City supporters that his heart is not in it, such has been the scale of the talk about his future this past year. Combine those factors and there seems to be a sizable part of the fanbase that would not be bothered if he never played for the club again.

It is right that Tielemans was far from his best against Everton. His pass completion rate was his lowest for a home Premier League game this season, while his shot selection was wasteful and his touch in tight areas was poor. But there are elements of his performance that should be encouraged.

City are in a rut at the moment where they are dominating the ball but not breaking teams down. In their past seven games, in which they have failed to register a win, they have had at least 60 per cent possession.

What they need are players to take more gambles in forward areas, to try to pull off passes that are going to break down deep defences. They need invention and ambition. That is what Tielemans is trying to provide.

All of his 22 passes that didn’t find a City shirt were forward. This was not a player failing to make the easy balls, but someone trying to be adventurous and falling short. He still completed more progressive passes than anybody in the team but Daniel Amartey, and it is more difficult to do the higher up the pitch you play.

It’s difficult to know if the inaccuracy in his game of late is