Leicester sign Drinkwater replacement

Leicester took no chances over the loss of Danny Drinkwater

On transfer deadline day, Leicester City sold midfield talisman Danny Drinkwater to Chelsea. With just under 200 appearances for the club, Drinkwater was a very familiar face for fans both on and off the field. Though his presence will surely be missed, Leicester fans have a new face to look for in the starting eleven that should bring them much comfort.

After a bit of uncertainty, the Foxes have secured the signing of Sporting CP midfielder Adrien Silva for £22 million, according to BBC Sports.

The well established Portuguese international has been with Sporting for the past 10 years of his career, so it is quite an accomplishment for Leicester to have pried him away from the club.

The 28-year-old should be a fascinating player to watch in the Premier League. Silva has a wonderful range of passing and is very deadly if given even just a few inches of space. Like most midfielders, he can be deadly from range should he have an open look at goal and is a very solid defensive player. Silva often played as a deeper lying midfielder at Sporting, so he is accustomed to helping out his backline.

At Leicester, Silva will slot right into the 4411 that Craig Shakespeare has used this season. Playing next to Ndidi, Silva will have license to go forward as needed since Ndidi is more of a ball winning midfielder. Silva was used to playing in a 4231 at Sporting, but his role with the Foxes will demand much of the same from him; cutting through balls to attackers and winning the ball back in the midfield to start decisive counter attacks.

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Sadly, this means ex-Manchester United youth product Matty James will need to sit. James struggled with injuries over the years and finally started seeing consistent first team action this year in Drinkwater’s place. The signing of Silva means James may not see as much time as originally planned, but he could still be a big part of Shakespeare’s plan this season.

The signing of Adrien Silva is overall a killer piece of business by Leicester. They made a £13 million profit in the end as they sold Drinkwater for a staggering £35 million. Turning a profit in today’s market is not the easiest thing, so to be able to accomplish that and still bring in a quality, well-respected and skillful player shows just how good the club is.

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Oddly enough, Leicester’s next match in the Premier League is against Chelsea, so Drinkwater could end of facing his old club just a week after leaving them. This could be Silva’s first involvement in Leicester colors, so fans will be expecting a solid first outing for their new player.