Leicester transfer target proves they are going for the title
Leicester’s pursuit of Sampdoria hitman Eder proves they are gunning for the Premier League title
Rest comfortably Leicester fans, Claudio Ranieri isn’t just happy to be in the Premier League title race. His latest transfer target proves that he wants to push the Foxes all the way to the Premier League’s ultimate prize.
Football Italia reports that Ranieri has set his sights on Sampdoria forward Eder. The 29-year-old attacker has had a terrific season in Serie A and is also a transfer target of Inter.
This isn’t the type of signing you target if you’re just happy to be in contention. This is a bold move that you make if you’re trying to win the title. Eder has the talent to be a game changer for Leicester if they’re able to bring him to England.
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Saying Eder has had a terrific season in Serie A for Sampdoria might be an understatement. He’s tallied an impressive 12 goals in just 19 matches with an impressive Whoscored.com rating of 7.13. These numbers put him among the Serie A elite in each category.
Given the presence of Jamie Vardy and Riyad Mahrez at Leicester, you might not think that adding to the attack would be a huge need for the Foxes. The truth is that in Ranieri’s preferred 4-4-2 formation the striking spot opposite Jamie Vardy hasn’t yielded a great deal of production. Neither Leonardo Ulloa or Shinji Okazaki have done enough to justify the starting position.
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That’s the spot in the Leicester lineup where Eder could flourish. He’s played all over the attack for Sampdoria but feels most comfortable as a striker. He’d find acres of space playing alongside Vardy and Mahrez every week.
Perhaps more importantly, he can do a lot to help Vardy and Mahrez find additional space. While both have continued to play very well for Leicester, they haven’t been quite as excellent as of late. Both would undoubtedly welcome the arrival of a reinforcement like Eder to give their attack some extra firepower.
The intent this transfer bid shows for Leicester is the real story here though. Many pundits and fans expect the team to fade away down the stretch of the season, but this shows Ranieri is determined not to let that happen. Even if they aren’t able to win the race to sign Eder, you can bet that Ranieri and company are looking at a bevy of other options to help Leicester stay strong down the season’s stretch run.
Time will tell if Leicester is able to bring Eder to the Premier League, but their fans should be beyond pleased that they’re trying to make this deal happen. It shows that Claudio Ranieri isn’t satisfied with just being in the Premier League title race, instead he intends to make every effort to win it.