One of Ruud van Nistelrooy’s priorities this month could be replacing right-back James Justin, or at least signing a player to challenge him.
Justin has had a terrible season at Leicester City, with supporters becoming increasingly frustrated by his lacklustre performances.
A mistake from Justin cost Leicester a point against Aston Villa last weekend, gifting possession away cheaply near his own box and paying the ultimate price as Leon Bailey scored a late winner.
The 26-year-old has had to play most weeks because first-choice right-back Ricardo Pereira is out injured, and there is no one else to cover for him.
However, with the January window in full swing, Leicester are eyeing a cut-price transfer for a full-back, and one of those is from a rival.
Leicester should replace James Justin with Kyle Walker-Peters
Southampton’s Kyle Walker-Peters emerged as a transfer target for Leicester recently, with the 27-year-old being made available to sign by the Saints.
The English full-back, who can play on the left or right side, sees his contract at St Marys expire in 2025 and Southampton would like to recoup a fee for him.
With Ivan Jurić’s side looking very likely to be relegated back to the Championship, the chances of Walker-Peters signing a new deal look increasingly slim.
Therefore, Leicester must see this as an opportunity to offer a bumper contract for the Englishman by landing him for a cut price and landing upgrading Justin in the process.
Walker-Peters would be perfect for Ruud van Nistelrooy, as his versatility makes him a brilliant option for either right or left-back, while his Premier League experience is a massive bonus.
Walker-Peters impressive statistics
Former Southampton boss Ralph Hasenhuttl compared Walker-Peters to Philipp Lahm previously, one of the greatest right-backs to grace the beautiful game.
He likened him to the World Cup-winning defender for his sheer versatility, being able to play a number of positions, but also his technical attributes and footballing intelligence.
As highlighted by FBref, Walker-Peters looks tailor-made for van Nistelrooy’s system which encourages one of his full-backs to get forward.
Walker-Peters statistics per 90 past year
- 89.1% pass completion
- 4.33 progressive passes
- 3.88 progressive carries
- 1.13 successful take-ons
- 2.25 touches (att pen)
- 1.74 fouls drawn
Remarkably, for some of the above statistics, Walker-Peters ranks in the top 5% of defenders across Europe, most notably for pass completion and progressive carries, evincing his qualities as an attacking weapon.