Steve Cooper will be searching for more Leicester City players to call his own between now and deadline day at the close of the month, to help the Foxes in their bid to stay afloat in the Premier League past this season.
It feels an awfully long time ago now since Enzo Maresca was in the King Power Stadium hot-seat over the Welshman, as the Italian swapped the newly promoted outfit for Chelsea, right after lifting the Championship title last campaign.
Cooper won't be expected to pick up any silverware, on the contrary, as he attempts to keep Leicester up, with this new signing potentially entering the building soon.
Leicester could land Wilfried Zaha alternative
Leicester had been noted as an interested party looking at former Crystal Palace star Wilfried Zaha this summer, with the ex-Eagles winger expected to leave Galatasaray behind, for a return to English shores.
However, any talk surrounding the 31-year-old dramatically returning to the Premier League with the Foxes has gone quiet, as the newly promoted outfit could now look at snapping up Reiss Nelson instead.
As per a report by the Telegraph earlier this week, it seems that Leicester are looking at the reserve Gunners attacker, but the 24-year-old's reported £120k-per-week pay packet could prove to be a tricky hurdle to overcome in their pursuit.
Still, the entertaining 5 foot 9 attacker could join between now and the end of the month, with the potential there that the former TSG 1899 Hoffenheim loanee could shine alongside veteran striker Jamie Vardy if signed, after finding himself stuck on the periphery in North London for too long.
What Nelson could offer Leicester
Nelson has performed recently for Arsenal when thrown into the deep end however, netting this last-gasp winner – as shown above – back in March of last year versus AFC Bournemouth, after only being on the Emirates Stadium turf for a meagre 21 minutes.
He could well be an impact substitute for Cooper's men too, therefore, thrown into action when top-flight defences are tiring, in place of first-team regular Abdul Fatawu down the right, or even down Stephy Mavididi's left-hand side if needed.
Club played for
Games played
Goals
Assists
Hoffenheim
29
7
1
Feyenoord
32
4
7
Galatasaray
43
10
5
Leicester will just hope Nelson can turn back the clock to the form he's managed away from North London in the past, with 11 goals and eight assists managed when loaned out to the Netherlands and Germany previously.
Whereas, Zaha – who is now 31 years of age – has only managed 15 goal contributions playing out in Turkey away from Palace to date, and so Nelson could still have the potential to push on and become a top performer in the Premier League, at 24 years of age himself.
Cooper won't want too many ageing talents up top, well aware that Vardy is already nearing towards the end of his playing days at the King Power, but can still pack a punch in the elite division.
The Foxes veteran would only need 19 touches of the ball to fire home versus Tottenham Hotspur during his side's opening 1-1 draw of the campaign, getting under the skin of Ange Postecoglou's men in the process, by deliberately riling up the away end from North London when hauled off by Cooper, on top of denying Spurs a win.
Therefore, both players could prove to be vital assets for the former Nottingham Forest boss to rely on, as both are capable of producing moments of magic from limited time on the pitch.
If any manager can get Nelson back to firing on all cylinders on a regular basis, it could well be Cooper, who is an avid admirer of the Arsenal man's work, having overseen his early development as a rising star when coaching the England U16s and U17s.
Once dubbed as being "special" by Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta, Nelson could well get his stuttering career back on track at the King Power, as Leicester aim to keep their heads above water back in the Premier League.
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1 ByKelan SarsonAug 3, 2024