Selling your best player always hurts but this could be necessary for Leicester City to progress in the Premier League.
Riyad Mahrez has been the star of the show at Leicester City over the past three years and, despite winning the Premier League in that time, they have done remarkably well to hold on to him for so long.
Mahrez is expected to complete a move to Manchester City in the coming days for a fee rumoured to be in the range of £75million, according to the Daily Mail, and will leave a large hole in the side; one that will be virtually impossible for the Foxes to fill.
But while neither of the previous two years have been reasonable times to let him move on, now does feel like the right time. Leicester need the money, not because they are struggling financially, but because something big is needed at the club right now.
The title-winning squad is breaking up through age and sales, replacements are needed, and a new era is on the verge of taking over.
Of the players who appeared in over 15 games last season, Wes Morgan, Kasper Schmeichel, Jamie Vardy, Danny Simpson, Shinji Okazaki, Christian Fuchs and Vincente Iborra are all over 30. On the other hand, Kelechi Iheanacho, Demarai Gray, Wilfred Ndidi and Ben Chillwell are all just 21. In Leicester’s squad, Harry Maguire, at 25, is the only player approaching what are traditionally their peak years.
It is an unbalanced squad, with key players winding down and others still learning. The arrival of right-back Ricardo Pereira (25) goes some way to helping to fix the problem but more will be needed. And on top of that, backup strikers Leonardo Ulloa and Islam Slimani look set to move on after being loaned out last season and will need to be replaced regardless.
Yes, holding on to Mahrez would be nice but it is not Leicester’s priority here. The Foxes risk being caught in limbo between two eras unless they rebuild and add some players to help the transition; £75million will go a long way to helping them achieve that.
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