There is no need for Leicester City to bring Florian Thauvin back to the Premier League from Marseille during the January transfer window, Foxes hero Emile Heskey told HITC.
The 2018 World Cup winner has been in sensational form this season, firing L’OM into contention for the Ligue 1 title with six goals and seven assists from the right flank.
According to Calciomercato, Brendan Rodgers is keen to hand the one-time Newcastle United flop a second chance in England.
Thauvin’s contract is due to expire next summer and, with Marseille making little progress as talks over an extension hit the buffers, one of Europe’s most naturally gifted wingers could be available for a cut-price fee of £18 million in the winter.
But, according to Heskey, Leicester would be better off signing a striker rather than reinforcing a position in which they are hardly short of options.
“No, I don’t think so,” the former England international said when asked if Thauvin was needed.
“With the likes of Harvey Barnes, (Cengiz) Under, you’ve got (Dennis) Praet who can play out there as well. They’ve got several players who can play in those positions and they’re young.
“The only player you’re looking at (finding a long-term replacement for) is probably Jamie Vardy, who will be 34 in January. For the wings, I don’t think it’s needed.”
Given that he is only on loan at Leicester until next summer, it is not quite certain what the future holds for Roma-owned Turkey international Under.
The skillful schemer has started just one Premier League game so far, but there have been enough flashes of quality to suggest that he could make a big impact in Rodgers’ talented front line in 2021.
“I watched him in the game against Luhansk (a 1-0 Europa League defeat) and I wasn’t impressed. But I watched the last game, against AEK (a 2-0 win), and it was night and day,” Heskey adds.
“He was up and down, he was sprinting past players, he was closing people down, he was knocking it around players and I was like ‘Wow, this is not what I’ve seen before from him!’.
“I’ve been impressed with his fitness and I think that was one of the major things he found difficult when coming to the Premier League. You have to get in people’s faces, chase the ball down… I think the level of fitness he needed, he wasn’t used to, so it’s taken him up to now to get up to that level.”
Under scored a stunning volley against AEK, one Rodgers himself described as ‘incredible‘, while showcasing his blistering pace to set up goals for Vardy in Premier League triumphs over Arsenal and Leeds.
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