Leicester City could seal a huge upgrade on Cesare Casadei by pulling off a transfer for one EFL sensation.
Leicester were left depleted in the midfield department when Cesare Casadei was recalled by Chelsea last Friday.
The departure of the Italian came as a huge shock to Enzo Maresca, who expected him to remain at the King Power Stadium till the end of the season.
Although he initially struggled to break up the indispensable trio of Harry Winks, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall and Wilfred Ndidi, the injury to Ndidi in the 2-0 victory over Cardiff City saw Casadei get his chance.
He played ninety minutes in the Championship for only the second and third time of the campaign in the victory over Huddersfield and defeat against Coventry City.
The 21-year-old was expected to start once more in Monday’s 1-1 draw against Ipswich, however, Mauricio Pochettino had other ideas by recalling him.
Maresca must now find a replacement for him. His number one target is Inter Milan midfielder Stefano Sensi, whose move to the club looks set to be delayed after two of their midfielders, Nicolo Barella and Hakan Calhanoglu picked up suspensions in the 1-0 win over Napoli.
Although Sensi has been given the green light to move to Leicester, the Championship leaders want to bolster their midfield further with the signing of Coventry City’s Callum O’Hare.
Callum O’Hare would be an upgrade on Cesare Casadei
According to the Athletic, O’Hare is a potential late target for the Foxes in this window.
The 25-year-old, who performed impressively and scored twice in a recent derby victory over Leicester, sees his Coventry contract expire in June.
A talented attacking midfielder, who would fit perfectly into one of Maresca’s ‘8’ positions at the King Power, has bounced back superbly from his long-term injury.
O’Hare has scored five goals in 15 Championship appearances this season with former teammate Jack Grealish labelling his revival as “class”.
With the end of the transfer window fast approaching, Leicester could tempt Coventry with an offer for their midfielder and land an upgrade on Casadei.
In the second tier this season, O’Hare has outperformed the Italian across most attacking metrics, including progressive passes (7.01/3.75), progressive carries (3.34/1.04), non-penalty goals (0.54/0.14) and touches in the attacking penalty box (4.53/1.67), as per FBref.
Although the Coventry whizz plays more advanced than Casadei, the above statistics suggest the Foxes would be landing a significant improvement on their former loanee.
It seems a no-brainer to try to lure O’Hare to the King Power and while it may be difficult, his contract at the Ricoh Arena does expire in the summer and Leicester could offer him a chance to play in the Premier League.