Leicester City are considering a move for Ligue 1 midfielder Amir Richardson as the club seek to replace Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall.
With Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall‘s £30 million move to Chelsea confirmed this week, Leicester City will be hopeful they can shift their focus from sales to signings having passed the 30th June PSR deadline.
Steve Cooper is the manager tasked with replaced last season’s Championship-winning boss in Enzo Maresca, with the Argentine having left for Chelsea before taking Dewsbury-Hall with him.
Leicester will need to replace Dewsbury-Hall and it looks as though they are ready to that with L’Equipe reporting the club are ‘interested’ in Reims midfielder Amir Richardson who has been valued at £8.5 million buy his club.
Leicester are not the only club interested, with Everton and Udinese also reportedly keen, but here is everything you need to know about Cooper’s midfield target.
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Amir Richardson career so far
Richardson is a 22-year-old central midfielder who currently plays for French top flight club Reims.
Born in Nice, Richardson owes his surname to his American father, Michael Ray Richardson, who was a professional basketball player, whilst his mother is of French-Moroccan descent.
Richardson played at youth side AS Fontanne Antibes in Nice from the age of six to ten before being scouted by Nice who took the youngster to their academy, where he remained until signing for Le Have in 2021.
The 6ft 5in midfielder made his professional debut in the French second tier in May 2021 and won Ligue 2’s ‘Nugget of the Month’ award for the league’s best young player in December 2021 during an impressive campaign which convinced Reims to sign him at the end of the season.
Reims immediately loaned Richardson back to Le Havre and he was key as they won promotion, being named in the league’s Team of the Year.
Last season, manager Will Still integrated Richardson into the Reims side and he played 28 Ligue 1 games, scoring three and assisting once but did not start any of the final five games of the campaign as he fell out of favour.
Eligible for France, USA and Morocco internationally, Richardson opted for the latter despite having played for France at youth level.
The young talent was part of the Morocco side that won the under-23 African Cup of Nations in 2023 and has since made seven appearances for the senior side.
What has been said about Amir Richardson?
Senior football journalist Bence Bocsak: “Amir Richardson – he’s already won the U23 AFCON with Morocco last year.
Such a unique profile in terms of a midfielder – extremely tall at 1.95 metres and springy – he defends and goes forward with the ball really well.
So good on the ball. Just 21 years old.”
Amir Richardson player profile
- Full name: Michael Amir Junior Richardson
- Age: 22
- Height: 1.97m (6ft 5in)
- Nationality: French-Moroccan
- Date of birth: 24th January 2002
- Place of birth: Nice, France
- Position: Centre-midfield
- Club: Reims (France)
Amir Richardson to Leicester City analysis
Richardson is a powerhouse of a midfielder at 6ft 5in and could add real steel to Leicester’s midfield ahead of their Premier League return.
With Wilfred Ndidi looking increasingly likely to sign a new contract at the Foxes, Richardson could prove to be the perfect midfield partner for the Nigerian.
Being left-footed, Richardson would provide balance to the midfield, whether alongside Ndidi, Harry Winks, or both and is a box-to-box player with boundless energy.
His height and physicality will be a real asset in both boxes and he uses his power to drive with the ball which could be crucial in relieving pressure against a higher calibre of opponent in the Premier League.
At 22, Richardson has a very high ceiling and Cooper should be doing all he can to convince the Leicester hierarchy to spend the £8.5 million to bring the midfielder to the King Power.