When Ruud Van Nistelrooy took over as manager of Leicester City in November, following the end of Steve Cooper’s stint, fans would have hoped that an exciting new era was ahead.
The Dutchman, who has now presided over seven consecutive Premier League defeats, appears to already be on borrowed time in the King Power Stadium dugout. The former interim Manchester United manager is not handling the stress of a relegation battle at all.
One or two good January acquisitions could help him hold onto his tenuous employment position, but he will be doing everything he can to turn around this sinking ship.
Leicester wants to add players in the back.
In an effort to strengthen their defense, Leicester is reportedly aiming to acquire goalkeeper Marko Dmitrovic from CD Leganés in January, according to recent sources from Spain.
Wolverhampton Wanderers is also mentioned in the article as a potential bidder for the Serbian goalkeeper, so the East Midlands struggling squad isn’t the only Premier League outfit vying for Dmitrovic’s services.
What Dimtrovic might provide Leicester
With Van Nistelrooy’s regular number one goalkeeper out since mid-December due to injury, Leicester will be hoping to beat Vitor Pereira’s team to this sought-after signing. The Foxes’ defensive problems are a result of Mads Hermansen’s absence from the team.
Thus, signing the £8k-per-week Leganes player might prevent goals from coming in and, at the same time, prolong the 48-year-old’s precarious position.
Before going into greater detail about why Dmitrovic would be a good addition, it should be noted that, except from his heroics in goalkeeping against Barcelona above, Leicester has had a terrible January thus far.
In fact, the relegation prospects have given up six goals in three Premier League games this miserable month so far, and they also gave up 12 goals in late December after Hermansen was replaced halfway through the Newcastle loss.
With just one goal conceded in his two outstanding La Liga performances this month, Dimtrovic has reveled in the pleasure of being Leicester’s primary man in goal, while players like Danny Ward and Jakub Stolarczyk have crumbled under the pressure of being the team’s number one goalkeeper.
The much sought-after Serbian has only scored 22 goals this season, but his incredible performance at Camp Nou last month helped Borja Jiménez’s team defeat the Catalan powerhouses 1-0.
Even though players like Robert Lewandowski and Raphinha, two of Europe’s best forwards, frequently rushed forward to try to give their team a much-needed lead, Dmitrovic stopped 2.25 goals from slipping into his net during the thrilling 90 minutes.
With the Foxes up to a concerning 48 goals conceded from 22 league games, Van Nistelrooy would now need to look for different faces in goal, but he might handle the pressures of a Premier League bottom battle effectively. Just to put things in perspective, Southampton, led by Ivan Juric, has given up more goals at 50.
In order to arrest the current rot and prevent a rapid return to the Championship, Van Nistelrooy will start to appear more and more like a dead man walking if he doesn’t make drastic January purchases.
for more:https://sportchannel.co.uk/2025/01/21/van-nistelrooys-…gns-la-liga-rock/
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