Overhaul required, Tielemans hole, Maddison decision - Leicester City midfield analysed

Each day this week we are analysing, in depth, an area of the Leicester City squad. Here, we take a closer look at the midfield. The previous instalments on the goalkeepers and the defence are available by clicking the links.

What Brendan Rodgers wants for his Leicester City squad this summer is a refresh. But his hopes for his midfield perhaps resemble something better described as an overhaul.

Once the injuries cleared up at the end of the season, the centre of the park became the problem area for City simply because Rodgers did not trust enough of his options. It meant Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall and Youri Tielemans kept playing twice a week every week for a couple of months, reaching a point where the former’s influence waned, and the latter’s downturn in performances saw his commitment to the club questioned by some supporters. Tiredness is the most sensible explanation for both.

The manager laid it out clearly, saying: “My teams normally have more midfield players because of the nature of how we work to dominate that part of the field. We need that. There’s been too big a burden on some of our players this year. Other players have maybe not stepped up and given us the quality we need, so some of the guys have had to continually play. For sure, that’s an area I would say we need at least two.”

Requesting “at least” two new midfielders suggests there may be room for a third new recruit in there too. Sorting the midfield looks like the biggest job for City’s recruitment team this summer.

Of the eight first-team midfielders on City’s books, it seems there are only three guaranteed to stay. The most significant of those who could depart is Tielemans. City’s efforts to get him to sign a new contract over the past 18