TalkSport pundit Kevin Hatchard has given his thoughts on the future of Youri Tielemans following his display for Leicester City.
The Belgian midfielder has certainly made his mark at the King Power Stadium following his move from AS Monaco in 2019, scoring 22 goals and chipping in with 20 assists during his 122 appearances, and being described as a ‘complete midfielder’ for Brendan Rodgers’ side.
His latest goal came in their 2-1 victory over Brentford, as he hit an impressive volley from outside the box and into the top corner to give the Foxes their opener on the day. All this though is happening under a cloud of contract negotiations between him and the club, with his contract set to enter the final 18 months in January.
Speaking about the Belgian on the TalkSport Gameday podcast (49:58) when asked by host Alex Crook about him and his contract situation, Hatchard was full of praise for his talents, stating that he could easily play for a number of teams around the world, before discussing what emotional toll the contract talks might have going forward:
“I think he would fit into most top clubs. And it’s taken a while for him, when he was at Anderlecht he was the next big thing. He went to Monaco, it didn’t work out for him. So he’s had to go the long way round. But technically, he’s exceptional, he really is and he’s become such an important player for that team.
“And I think, if you dropped him into the Manchester United team, you could see him fitting in there. He’s technically good enough to play Champions League, I believe. So yeah, I think the longer it goes without him signing, they are going to get a bit more nervous.”
TIF Thoughts on Kevin Hatchard’s comments about Youri Tielemans and Leicester City
Is Youri Tielemans Leicester's best player?
Yes
No
There is certainly no doubt just how important Tielemans is to a team like Leicester City, so it is important for them that they do manage to tie him down to a long-term deal as soon as they can.
Because whilst they have managed to replace some of their big-name players in the past, such as Wilfried Ndidi for N’Golo Kante and Caglar Söyüncü for Harry Maguire, it’s not always a guarantee that the next replacement will work, especially someone as impactful as Tielemans, even if his skillset would fetch a pretty penny in the transfer market.
So now it is imperative that the club manage to tie him down, otherwise they may get to a point of no-return where the interest from elsewhere is just too good for him to turn down.
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