Leicester City have handed Ruud van Nistelrooy a £7m transfer headache – his decision could save the club

Add as preferred source on Google

Ruud van Nistelrooy must make a big Leicester City transfer decision in January that could play a key role in their survival.

The Dutchman has been well and truly thrown in at the deep end after replacing Steve Cooper in the Midlands.

Ruud van Nistelrooy will take charge of Leicester City for the first time since being appointed as manager on Tuesday evening versus West Ham United.

The 48-year-old was in attendance when the Foxes were thumped 4-1 by Brentford at the Gtech Community Stadium this past weekend.

That defeat left Leicester sat 16th in the Premier League table and now just one point off 19th-place Ipswich Town going into the midweek action.

Position	Team	Played MP	Won W	Drawn D	Lost L	For GF	Against GA	Diff GD	Points Pts
13	B’mouthBournemouth	13	5	3	5	20	19	1	18
14	West HamWest Ham	13	4	3	6	17	24	-7	15
15	EvertonEverton	13	2	5	6	10	21	-11	11
16	LeicesterLeicester	13	2	4	7	16	27	-11	10
17	Crystal PalaceCrystal Palace	13	1	6	6	11	18	-7	9
18	WolvesWolves	13	2	3	8	22	32	-10	9

Van Nistelrooy has a lot of work to do in the coming months if he is to avoid relegation, including sorting out Leicester’s shaky backline.

Wout Faes and James Justin were woeful against Brentford, with Saturday’s clash certainly not the first time the duo have massively underperformed this term.

While defensive frailties are a priority though, Leicester’s forward options need to be addressed as well.

• READ MORE: What Leicester City fans were heard chanting during Brentford clash shows serious problem at club

Ruud van Nistelrooy has Tom Cannon decision to make at Leicester City

Odsonne Edouard joined Leicester on deadline day from Crystal Palace but despite previous success in the UK, he is yet to get off the mark in the Premier League for his current club.

Elsewhere, just as he was finding his best form, Abdul Fatawu suffered a season-ending injury for the Foxes last month.

Leicester do have other options available to help provide goals but barring a 37-year-old Jamie Vardy, their current stars are not great.

Patson Daka recently returned from an injury of his own but he hasn’t nor has he ever really been, a prolific goalscorer in the top flight.

However, Van Nistelrooy could have an ace up his sleeve in the form of former Everton striker Tom Cannon, who joined Leicester for around £7m, according to Sky Sports News.

Cannon is currently out on loan in the Championship with Stoke City but the Foxes have the option to recall him in January.

• READ MORE: Why Leicester City can’t sack Ruud van Nistelrooy this season even if he’s a rubbish manager

Tom Cannon stats at Stoke City

Cannon did not have a prolific debut season at the King Power Stadium, scoring just three times in 17 appearances.

After arriving over the summer, Steve Cooper then opted to send him out on loan for the 2024/25 campaign – a decision Ruud probably wished was never made.

Despite previous struggles at Leicester, Cannon is currently thriving at Stoke, scoring seven and assisting one in 14 Championship appearances.

Now, with Januayr approaching, Ruud must decide what he is going to do with the Irishman.

He has three options at present, two of which are likely to be more agreeable to Leicester fans.

Van Nistelrooy can let Cannon see out his loan with Stoke, recall him in January and hand him a chance in his side, or recall him and try and move him on permanently.

Cannon could provide some extra firepower up top amid Edouard’s struggles or any money brought from a sale could allow Leicester to sign another player in the winter.

Both options should help the Foxes in their survival battle but if he remains at Stoke, that’s unlike to benefit the club in any way.

It’ll be interesting to see what Van Nistelrooy does, with any decision likely to play a role in Leicester’s relegation battle.