We’re well into the second half of the January transfer window now, and it’s been a very quiet one for Leicester City up to this point. Luke Thomas has made an early return to the club after a loan spell at Sheffield United, while goalkeeper Daniel Iversen has been sent to Stoke City on a permanent deal.
There’s no critical need for Enzo Maresca to do business, of course. Leicester currently sit seven points clear of Ipswich at the top of the Championship, and ten clear of third-placed Southampton. They look more than good enough to achieve promotion with their current roster.
Still, the manager is hopeful of building from a position of strength before the 1st February deadline. He’s publicly acknowledged that the Foxes ‘like’ Stefano Sensi at Inter, but stressed that the club must sell before they can buy. Leicester have been in talks with Inter over a deal, and there’s now been a breakthrough.
Leicester shake hands on Sensi deal
According to Sky Sports News, Leicester have “agreed” a deal for Sensi in principle. The club must still clear a space in their squad before they advance with the deal, but the basic structure is now in place.
With “some way to go”, as per the report, before Sensi can be presented as a Leicester player, Maresca continues to push for the deal. You’d imagine that the club are now actively inviting offers for players who are surplus to requirements.
Leicester should sell Thomas to sign “glorious” Sensi
Sensi joined Inter from Sassuolo in 2020 after an initial loan spell at San Siro, but has since spent time on loan at Sampdoria and Monza. He’s racked up 142 games of experience in Serie A, but has appeared just 56 times for the Nerazzurri. This season, he’s only played 28 minutes of league football across three substitute appearances and has watched the full game from the bench on 13 occasions. His contract is due to expire this summer, so there’s a clear incentive for Inter to bank some money for him this month rather than lose him for nothing.
Journalist Jack Collins describes him as a “glorious, glorious footballer”, and while he’s not really had the platform to show what he can do at Inter, the nine-cap international put up some impressive numbers at Monza last season. He ranked second for passes received per 90 (61.3) and third for passes completed (60.5), making him something of a midfield hub for Raffaele Palladino’s side.
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While he would at times play the final ball himself – he ranked third in the squad for expected assists (xA) per 90 (0.14) – he was better used as a deep-lying playmaking force. Indeed, he led the way for progressive passes (7.94) and passes into the final third (7.11) and wound up third for shot-creating actions (3.5), which shows that he played a key role in his team’s attacking sequences without racking up too many assists (one).
The question now is who Leicester can sell to trigger his arrival. One standout candidate is Thomas, who’s also into the final six months of his deal and attracting interest from fellow Championship side Sunderland. Maresca clearly hasn’t suffered without the full-back this season, and it might make sense for Leicester to sanction a cut-price deal for a player who’s on course to be a free agent anyway.