Ndidi could get a new role in City’s tweaked defence
THERE are six senior out-of-contract players at Leicester City and it could be a month or so before the definitive word on their futures arrives.
With the club under a transfer embargo and needing special permission from the EFL to sign current players to new deals, it may be that they wait until next month to announce their decisions.
By then, City will be under the governance of the Premier League and it’s not expected the embargo will carry over.
In any case, there have been plenty of clues as to what comes next for those whose deals expire at the end of June.
For Marc Albrighton, Saturday’s game felt like a farewell and he said he’s “more or less sure” it was his final outing.
Dennis Praet has said he’s leaving for “something new”, while Kelechi Iheanacho’s final day T-shirt suggested he’s off too.
For Jamie Vardy, it would be a surprise at this point if he didn’t get a new deal. Enzo Maresca has hinted that one is coming and talks have been held.
Jannik Vestergaard has been such a key player this season that it feels like a new contract for the Dane is now more likely than not.
But what about Wilfred Ndidi? He’s been an important player for City this season as the most regular starter alongside Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall in the attacking midfield slots.
But despite his adaptation to the more advanced role, he still doesn’t feel like a natural, and there will be question marks over whether he starts in the Premier League.
However, Maresca dropped a hint on Saturday that he believes Ndidi will still be at the club next season.
Or at least that he hopes Ndidi will be sticking around.
Maresca made a tweak to his defence for the game against Blackburn. Whether it’s been Ricardo Pereira or Hamza Choudhury in the hybrid role, for all of the season up to Saturday’s game, they progressed into midfield from right-back or leftback.
However, against Blackburn, Choudhury was stationed at centreback without the ball, and alongside Harry Winks when City were in possession. This had the biggest impact on James Justin, who would usually be on the opposite of the defence to the hybrid player, and who would shuffle in to create a back three when they moved into midfield.
This time, he started at right-back, and often stayed at right-back when City had the ball, allowing him to stretch his legs a little more and play as he did under Brendan Rodgers. It didn’t always work and fans weren’t quite treated to the Justin of old, but this was the first time experimenting. It was never going to be perfect straight off the bat.
So where does Ndidi fit in? Well, Maresca indicated that if City were to stick with this tweak in the Premier League, the Nigerian could be one of the players who operates as Choudhury did, suggesting he’s planning to have him still at the King Power Stadium next season.
“I’m thinking already about the future,” Maresca said on the tweak to the defence. “It’s good to start to think how we could improve next season.
“Hamza could be an option there, Wout (Faes) could be an option, Wilf could also be an option to do that kind of job.”