Leicester City can fulfil Enzo Maresca transfer brief by redeploying forgotten man

In January, after Leicester City lost to Ipswich at home in a late equaliser, Enzo Maresca lamented the lack of a “different kind of player” to come off the bench and finish the game.

Subsequently, he explained that he was looking for a different kind of player—a physical midfielder. With Wilfred Ndidi sidelined due to injury and Cesare Casadei called up by Chelsea, City’s attacking midfielders in that top-of-the-table matchup were Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall and Ricardo Pereira.

It was unfortunate because City had a physical midfield player who was in good shape and performing well at the time. He was just doing it at Sevilla, that’s all.

Yes, this season in La Liga, Boubakary Soumare has been a regular. The midfielder for City entered the Sevilla team during a draw with Real Madrid in October, and he hasn’t left since, missing just three league games.

Since Soumare’s performances have been so good and reliable, Sevilla has considered him to be an essential member of the team. His 13 points out of a possible 15 points is the best record in the division outside of Real Madrid. It has elevated them from a challenging campaign to the verge of the top half.

According to reports from Spain, Sevilla wants to hold onto him. However, they feel they can’t afford what City would want for Soumare, much as their finances are delaying paying Enzo Maresca’s release clause.
It implies that City will have to find him a new residence if they hope to profit. They would undoubtedly benefit from that if they could complete that task by the end of June for their Profit and Sustainability calculations.

However, since Maresca is looking for a physical midfield player and money is probably limited, it might be best to give Maresca a closer look at him first. After such a string of games at Sevilla, Soumare might decide not to stay, which would be necessary for City. But Maresca might try it too if he’s willing to give it a shot.
It’s not that Soumare is performing at the level that Maresca would like him to right now. The Frenchman is positioned at the base of the midfield for Sevilla. From there, his passing and ball-carrying progression stats are respectable.

He would have to provide more attacking ability further up the pitch for Maresca to use him. To extend the pitch, he would require flashes of quickness in confined spaces, a readiness to enter the box and challenge crosses, and the tactical awareness to time his runs beyond the striker.

Though it’s unclear if Soumare is capable of any of those things, prior to the start of this season, there was a belief that Ndidi was unfit for such a role as well, despite Maresca’s assistance in helping him adjust. Maresca might be able to bring out the best in Soumare if he is receptive to it.

During his two years at City, Soumare showed glimpses of his potential during brief 20-minute bursts of dominance when he effortlessly sprinted past his opponents. Getting him to exhibit those traits more regularly was always the goal. Maresca might believe he can handle that as manager.