Football is a fun old game. If your club announces the signing of a young South American defender you’ve never heard of, there’s a good chance you’re not ready to hang around the banners.
However, once you hear the youngster cost a princely fee and hear from a teenager on Twitter that he’s the best defender to come out of Brazil since Cafu, you suddenly dream of a title charge – although you have never seen it. to play.
Perspective is rarely offered in our beautiful game these days, and there is a lot to be said for a solid and reliable center-back who has a winning mentality and knows the league, and for that reason Leicester fans should be delighted. of the news from their club shared via their official website that Jonny Evans had extended his stay at the club until 2023.
Since Brendan Rodgers arrived at King Power Stadium in February 2019, the former Liverpool boss – with the club’s superb scouting department – has done wonders to make Leicester a side capable of competing in the top of the Premier League. League.
Big-money signings such as Youri Tielemans, Wesley Fofana and Timothy Castagne have been signed on to bolster an already stellar squad of players, while talented youngsters such as James Justin have proven they are already capable of mixing him into the league. superior of England, and will only get better.
In truth, Rodgers hasn’t done much harm in the transfer market since joining Leicester, although the only area the club has struggled with is center-back.
Commit your future to the Club?# Evans2023
– Leicester City (@LCFC) December 31, 2020
Towards the end of the 2019/20 campaign, the dismissal of Caglar Soyuncu at Bournemouth undoubtedly had an impact on the club’s bid for Champions League football, with Wes Morgan, 36, and Ryan Bennett on loan to the Wolves, drafted to close the gap – a task they clearly chose. were not up to the task.
The current campaign hasn’t been much better for Soyuncu, having been ruled out for more than two months with an abductor tear, while the aforementioned Fofana is now also sidelined with a blow to the knee.
With Daniel Amartey even drafted at center-back, in truth Leicester’s baseline is a bit complicated as it is. And yet, during all of this turmoil and uncertainty, a man has been there to stabilize the ship.
Evans is one of the most underrated center-backs in recent Premier League history and has been courted at times by some of the so-called ‘big six’ in the league.
He started every league game for the Foxes last season – completing the full 90 minutes in all but two – as they achieved their best Premier League result, except when they were crowned champions in 2015/16 .
The 32-year-old has adapted perfectly to who he has been asked to play alongside this season, whether that be his usual partner from the center-back in Soyuncu, a rookie like Fofana or a player usually deployed in midfield like Amartey.
While extending the contract of a player who will turn 35 when the deal expires doesn’t seem like a particularly exciting prospect, Rodgers has no illusions about what a huge Evans player is for Leicester, describing previously the Northern Irishman as “the deal of the century” when he signed for the club in 2018.
Yes, it’s exciting when your club starts to attract new talent – a feeling Leicester fans will know all too well – but every football team needs balance, and at Evans, the Foxes have a defender of first class which has shown time and time again that it can still cut it at the highest level.
Evans is an integral part of the Leicester project and Rodgers can already be delighted with the business he has done.
