Emergence of Leicester City starlet makes Harry Souttar decision look even stranger: View | OneFootball

Harry Souttar's Leicester career hasn't quite gone to plan for both himself and the Foxes, and after reportedly rejecting advances from other clubs in the January window, it's a decision that looks increasingly strange.

Having joined Leicester last January, Souttar was initially given the huge task of keeping them in the Premier League - but Everton's final day win over Bournemouth saw the Foxes relegated in one of the biggest shocks in terms of top flight drops since the Premier League started.

Nonetheless, his experiences at Stoke proved that he was a top Championship player and it was expected that Souttar would at least play a regular role in a side that was always going to aim to come back up automatically.

But with just one start in the second tier and two substitute appearances, he has been left on the peripherals with his future in the balance.

And the decision to start an emerging youth star ahead of him recently makes the decision not to send Souttar out on loan or sell the towering Aussie even more baffling.

Leicester City turned down Harry Souttar transfer approaches

Souttar was linked with a move away from the Foxes in January after his lack of playing time, with Sheffield United, Everton, Celtic and Rangers all interested in the Australia international over the past six months.

Souttar - who only featured in 12 games for Leicester in the top flight last season - has little Premier League experience, but with Sheffield United leaking goals on a consistent basis and Everton manager Sean Dyche noted for preferring strong aerial ability in his squads, a return to the highest tier of English footballl seemed to be on the cards.

Leicester turned down approaches and interest for the Australia international star, opting to keep the 6ft 8in centre-back at the club to aid their promotion push.

That seemed to be a hint that Souttar would play more regularly in the second half of the season, but with his last outing coming against Rotherham before Christmas, it makes Enzo Maresca’s decision even more baffling.

Ben Nelson's Leicester emergence has shifted Souttar down the pecking order

Youth star Ben Nelson has come into the fold since - and his performance against Watford at the weekend showed that he has enough to help the Foxes out in their hunt for the title.

Jannik Vestergaard, Wout Faes and Callum Doyle - who tucks in as a third defender when Leicester are in possession - are all ahead of Souttar and Nelson in the pecking order generally, and with Conor Coady still on the books, that quartet is enough to see promotion through alone.

With Nelson now featuring for the Foxes in four games this season, he’s overtaken Souttar in terms of involvement and played full games in wins over Millwall and Birmingham in the FA Cup.

The 19-year-old's only previous league experience before the last month were two League Two loan stints last season, spending the first half of it at Rochdale before moving on to Doncaster Rovers in the January transfer window of 2023, but Nelson has clearly impressed for Leicester's under-21's and in training to be given a chance by Maresca,

This makes the refusal to sell Souttar even more baffling - a £15 million asset being sat in the club with his value diminishing is never a great situation for neither club or player.

Leicester's title charge

It does seem as though the King Power outfit will cruise to at least automatic promotion, with or without the services of Souttar.

Already 12 points ahead of Leeds in second, that can only be cut to 11 points should Southampton win their game in hand.

And with a maximum of 42 points to gain from that situation, Leicester only need a maximum of 10 wins from their remaining games to go up as champions.