Leicester City’s latest defeat against Aston Villa has highlighted the need to strengthen in defence.
Ruud van Nistelrooy equalled an unwanted 22-year record against Villa as Leicester conceded at least twice in one game for the fifth match in a row.
The Foxes have the second-worst defence in the division with 44 goals shipped and must do everything in their power to fix the problem this month.
Leicester have been transfer-linked with several defenders, although none of the rumours have emerged into something concrete.
Indeed, van Nistelrooy has watched some of his relegation rivals improve their squad, with Ipswich Town signing Leicester target Ben Godfrey.
However, the Dutchman must now use that setback as fuel to sign a player Wolves currently have their eyes on.
Leicester City should try sign Chelsea’s Renato Veiga
There has been talk of van Nistelrooy using his Man United links to sign players in January but Leicester should lean on their former manager to capture Chelsea’s Renato Veiga.
Enzo Maresca made Veiga one of his first signings for the Blues, arriving in a £12m deal from FC Basel in July 2024.
Sadly, the versatile defender has only featured for 176 minutes in the Premier League whilst starring in their Europa Conference League campaign with two goals in six appearances.
Veiga is understandably frustrated with his lack of game time and a story from the Daily Mail suggests Wolves want to sign the Portuguese star to further improve their defensive options.
Premier League interest in the 21-year-old must indicate the youngster’s talent and should prompt Leicester to throw their name into the hat.
Veiga would kill two birds with one stone for Ruud van Nistelrooy
Although Leicester are eyeing a centre-back this summer, signing Veiga would be perfect as he’d resolve their left-back problem too.
Not only is he established as a central defender but he can also operate as a left-back or central midfielder, telling of his versatility.
Former Leicester boss Maresca has previously raved about the youngster’s ability to play several positions after he starred in an attacking midfield role in October’s win over Gent.
“Tonight he played like an attacking midfielder, in the pocket for the first time of the season for us,” Maresca said via Football.London.
“He did very well. You never imagine Renato arriving in the box and scoring from the other side. That means he is doing well.
“When we needed him as a holding midfielder against Bournemouth, he was there. The other day against Brighton, as a full-back. He is versatile. Tonight he was playing like an attacking midfielder but overall I think he did well.”
The above comments suggest Veiga would kill two birds with one stone for van Nistelrooy as he could be used as a left-back, centre-back or midfielder.
Also, with James Justin struggling for form and Victor Kristiansen’s weaknesses often exploited, Veiga boasts the full-back profile that fits the bill as he’s strong at defending and attacking.