Wilfred Ndidi: The Premier League’s most underrated DM is becoming a no.10 | OneFootball

When Wilfred Ndidi first joined Leicester City in 2017, he was tipped to be the next N’Golo Kante.

The Nigerian midfielder joined Leicester in January from Belgian side Genk and immediately became one of the best tacklers in the Premier League.

Averaging 4.02 tackles per 90 minutes in the second half of the 2016-17 campaign, only Idrissa Gueye (4.56 per 90) had a better average in the Premier League that season among players with at least 1,000 minutes. From his debut until the end of the season, Ndidi made more tackles than any other Premier League player (68).

Looking across the campaign as a whole, Ndidi’s 68 tackles placed him just outside the top 40 in the Premier League in 2016-17. Considering he only played 1,522 minutes, that’s a remarkable feat. And it was just a taster.

In the following years, the Premier League became Ndidi’s when it came to tackles. He topped the charts for tackles in 2017-18 (138), 2018-19 (142) and 2019-20 (129) before injuries hampered his time in the Premier League.

But despite his injury problems and season in the Championship, Ndidi remains unrivalled in the Premier League. Since his Premier League debut, Ndidi has made more tackles than any other player. The Nigerian’s number stands at 704 in 196 games, averaging 3.91 per 90 minutes.

Overall, that’s 152 more than Declan Rice in second place. And the Arsenal midfielder has played 49 more games than Ndidi and over 4,000 more minutes. Aaron Wan-Bissaka (512), Idrissa Gueye (486) and Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg (468) complete the top five for tackles.

Since his Premier League debut, Ndidi also leads the division for interceptions (393), while sitting fourth for possession won in the middle third (838) and possession won (1,567).

This Ndidi is averaging 2.61 tackles per 90 minutes, which is lower than we’ve come to expect from the Nigerian. He’s also averaging 2.87 possessions won in the middle third and just 0.52 interceptions. These are all lower than his average per 90 from his Premier League career as a whole.

So, why have these numbers dropped? If you haven’t watched Leicester in the Premier League this season, you’ll no doubt be confused.

Ndidi played in Leicester’s opening two games as the defensive midfielder we’d expect. Across those two matches he made five tackles and won possession 12 times in total. Interestingly, all three of Ndidi’s shots this season did come in those two matches.

The Nigerian was particularly busy in the 2-1 defeat to Fulham, winning possession in the middle third five times and three times in the defensive third. But then came a tactical switch.

In Leicester’s past two Premier League matches, Ndidi has been played in an attacking midfield role. It was a tactical switch first tested in the EFL Cup against Tranmere Rovers, with Ndidi allowed to roam as part of a midfield trio. Oliver Skipp and Harry Winks were the other two midfielders that night, and they’ve taken on defensive responsibilities in Leicester’s 4-2-3-1.

Ndidi’s move further forward will have been made with pressing in mind. It’s a tactical switch we’ve seen other managers employ, deploying their best presser high up the pitch to try to turn the ball over. The opposition attack can’t hurt you if they can’t get into your own half.

But what it’s really done is allowed Ndidi’s creative juices to flow. In Leicester’s last two games, Ndidi has still made five tackles and two interceptions, while winning possession nine times — with most of those coming against Crystal Palace.

And, of course, he’s created five chances. Against Aston Villa, Ndidi created one chance and set up Facundo Buonanotte in what was just a consolation goal. But it did mark Ndidi’s first Premier League assist since May 2021.

Things came together even more in the draw with Crystal Palace. Leicester looked good in their visit to Selhurst Park and their 2-0 lead just after half-time was well deserved. Ndidi was pulling the strings. He created four chances, more than any other Leicester player and the joint-most on both teams. Ndidi’s three big chances created was the most in the match, while he attempted 11 final third passes and provided two assists from an xA of 0.79.

The first was a lovely ball through to Jamie Vardy from just inside the centre circle, with Ndidi having won a battle in midfield. He played the ball around Guehi with the curve for it to fall perfectly at Vardy’s feet.

Ndidi’s second assist was a cute one, and showed just how the Nigerian has adapted to his role. The ball rebounded to him on the edge of the six-yard box and most other players may have been tempted to shoot. But Ndidi knew his chances of scoring weren’t the best, and laid a cute pass back to Stephy Mavididi, who was unmarked.

So after four games this season, Ndidi has six chances created and three assists, averaging 1.57 and 0.78 per 90 minutes respectively. That blows his previous record out of the water. From his Premier League debut until the end of the 2022-23 season when Leicester were relegated, Ndidi created 76 chances (0.43 per 90) and provided nine assists (0.05).

Could this be the way forward for Leicester?