Only 9 Leicester City players are actually good enough for the Premier League | OneFootball

After seven straight losses for the Foxes, it is hard to not consider negatives: is the manager good enough, are the players good enough, is the board up to the task, or will our fate be decided by mid-February... all are valid questions in these rough times.

For now though, we will put our focus on the second question. It is clear that the King Power club will need a major refresh. However, I will be nice and spare judgment on a couple of players and give an honourable mention to a couple as well. The rest though have got to go at some point in the next couple of transfer windows. Also, I am ignoring on-loan players.

Leicester City's spared players

Those spared are of course Woyo Coulibaly who has had no chance yet to play in this league to show us what qualities or attributes he can bring to the team, as well as Jakub Stolarczyk and Kasey McAteer. The latter two were never going to be quite ready for Premier League football and have given a great account of themselves during their outings. Both should remain with Leicester.

The honourable mentions fall to Oliver Skipp and Stephy Mavididi. Skipp and Mavididi both play very well when the rest of the team is uplifted, in possession and 'ticking' as a team should be. Mavididi does sometimes run himself out of room on the left wing without breaking past defenders, but when confident is certainly a brilliant asset. Skipp is an excellent passer of the ball, he only lets the Foxes down in defensive terms, lacking any real disruptive capacity. He is only ineffective because we have no dedicated defensive midfielder who takes that role seriously available.

Jordan Ayew is one I find hard to judge with conviction. The player is our joint second-highest goalscorer. However, they are experienced, considerate, and selfless. Those are positive traits, but experience also means that they know how to plaster over their weaknesses and maximise their strengths, in reality, Ayew is not a technical talent, not pacy, not explosive, but he does know where to stand. The Premier League needs technical and explosive talents for sustained quality.

Nine players are good enough

From this season, and in being very harsh on the players who have played their hearts out, only nine I feel have been strong enough or impactful enough when available to be a Premier League player for the King Power side. Well, I suppose Championship players unless the form turns around.

Unsurprisingly, in defence, there are only three that have had any real positive impact in a sustained manner when available. Victor Kristiansen, Ricardo Pereira, and Mads Hermansen have been cores of the team. Two of those are unavailable Ruud van Nistelrooy at this time, so it is also no surprise Leicester City have struggled to defend.

Kristiansen is usually much higher up the pitch supporting Mavididi in attack with overlaps or a passing option backwards, perhaps his only pitfall being the lack of searching crosses into the box. This is where Luke Thomas used to do a good job, but of course, we have seen little of the English left-back of late. The Danish left-back also has the second-highest non-penalty expected goals plus expected assists per 90 (NPxG90+xA90) of any defender: only James Justin who has had an almost uncontested go at right-back has higher, and not by much.

Pereira has barely played. So, this selection is purely out of sentiment and support for a highly loyal, passionate, and commanding player who has always offered everything for this club. For the King Power club, the Portuguese defender has been explosive on the counter, hungry in defence, and impassioned in pressing opposition players. There remains no doubt in my mind that when fit Pereira is our best right-back and our best hope of leading a refreshed defensive lineup.

I could run out of superlatives for Hermansen. The Danish goalkeeper saved Leicester several times from draws, losses, and humiliation. Losing this talent and temporarily being forced into replacing him with first Danny Ward and second the young Stolarczyk is painful. Our true No. 1 is great with the ball to his feet, positions himself excellently in the net, and offers everything on that pitch.

In midfield, I am generally happy with the quality of players we could have were they fit. Bilal El Khannouss has been a shining example of a creative maestro, Wilfred Ndidi is a box-to-box monster, Boubakary Soumare has finally been given a chance to play his game, and Harry Winks is just being himself. The most integral one - Ndidi - is currently injured and that is having a massive impact.

Ndidi has the most assists of any other player. Ndidi also has the ninth-highest number of progressive passes despite being sidelined for quite some time now. This is all to say, that the Nigerian Fox turns our midfield from being reliant on possession to being a balanced defensive and attacking unit. His box-to-box instincts make him the perfect partner for Soumare.

Speaking of Soumare, I still cannot believe how Leicester City treated him up until now. The Frenchman carries the ball well, holds onto it strongly, passes the ball with technical excellence and assurance, and generally just provides a bit of clarity in midfield. I cannot imagine Nistelrooy dropping the player for anyone else other than to rest Soumare: in which case Skipp is the best switch-up.

Up front, Jamie Vardy and Abdul Fatawu are shining examples above all else. Although the latter has barely played, and the former is bordering on 40, the pair have been creative, linked up well with their team mates, and generally done everything we could have expected of them. Again, one of them is unavailable to the Dutch head coach.

This list is harsh on players like James Justin who has had a rough patch of mistakes, Thomas who just deserves a chance, and Caleb Okoli who barely played, but it is crucial the Foxes understand they need reliable players who can perform under pressure, pass assuredly, and catch the eye of their manager.

Which players do you feel are good enough to play for the Foxes at a Premier League level? Let Foxes of Leicester know through our social media channels on X and Facebook.