Things to know about Leicester transfer target Chemsdine Talbi | OneFootball

Ruud van Nistelrooy will be under no illusions of the task before him when the Foxes’ season is over. The King Power side will see major refreshment of the team due to departures both planned, expected, and those probably damaging. As such, we have already seen several links to new signings with a focus on young attackers.

The latest link is to another promising attacking talent in the form of Club Brugge’s Chemsdine Talbi. The 19-year-old has played out on the right-wing for the Belgian giants, enjoying a very successful campaign in the Belgian Pro League with five goals and two assists across 18 matches the player has thus far featured in.

What Leicester City has to know

The Belgian-Moroccan star is an extremely promising talent. Standing at 5.74 feet tall and bringing a great deal of pace to the game, and uses this to great effect to create chances. The only weakness is that he is not the strongest or toughest player, this has occasionally led to the player ceding possession when under pressure.

When out of possession, Talbi offers Brugge a direct outlet to swiftly transition into attack, and with his acceleration and pace combined the player can collect the ball and rush it forward before either passing to the striker or just going at goal himself. This particular part of his play was seen in Club Brugge’s match against Atalanta in the Champions League.

Technically, Talbi is a gifted talent. When under intense pressure by defenders, the winger will typically try to either intricately pass the ball through lines - which can lead to ceding possession - or can round players with impressive skill and ball control. In this regard, we can see elements of Abdul Fatawu in the stylistic preferences of Talbi. The only major difference could be his defensive contributions.

Defensively, what Fatawu did so successfully was to get back and support the right back, who could then tuck in closer to the aggressive centre-backs we have - which has been our defensive weakness - and put tackles in while pressuring the oncoming winger. Comparatively, Talbi does not have to offer this to Club Brugge, so defensively the player is nigh absent, usually staying forward and wide to support the counterattack.

What Talbi offers the Foxes

Nistelrooy’s Foxes have been slowly developing into something more of a pacy progressive side with more technical players and passers providing options to swiftly get the ball forward. It would seem the priority at the King Power is to bring in players that can support this plan.

Talbi would be an option instead of Fatawu. Where the injured superstar is an all-round explosive player out on the right wing that links up brilliantly with our players, Talbi would bring pure unbridled aggression and goal-threat. Whenever on the ball, you would see the King Power side aggressively rush forward and quick passes being played through defensive lines.

Additionally, Leicester City would then be focusing on the counterattack as their integral moment to score: when the opposition are disorganised, they can rush a well-placed pass from Harry Winks into the path of wingers or Bilal El Khannouss, and then use Talbi or Fatawu’s pace to get in-behind the defence as the Belgian-Moroccan did against Atalanta and create an opportunity on goal.

However, there is a negative. I doubt the Dutchman’s club would be able to get a cutthroat deal for the player, especially if they were to be relegated into the Championship. Some of the players they are interested in seem to require Premier League football as a bare minimum to have a chance of attracting them to the once European spot challengers.