Why Marlon to Leicester City would be a solid move

Back in May 2018, the Sport had claimed Leicester City were interested in signing Barcelona defender Marlon Santos, who was plying his trade on loan at OGC Nice.

The Foxes were impressed by the Brazilian’s progress in France and were weighing up making Barcelona an offer last summer. However, no deal materialised and the defender ended up joining Sassuolo.

Marlon, 24, joined Barcelona from Fluminense in the summer of 2017 after an impressive season with Barcelona B ended with two first-team appearances. However, the competition for a first-team spot was too strong and the Catalan giants decided to cash in on the centre-back.

The 24-year-old had a start-stop debut season at Sassuolo, as injuries limited him to just 18 league appearances. In the current season, the defender has played just four times for Sassuolo in Serie A.

As far as Leicester City are concerned, they lost Harry Maguire to Manchester United before the start of the season. It was a big blow for the Foxes but they haven’t really felt Maguire’s absence so far. Caglar Soyuncu, who arrived at the club last year, has stepped up with some impressive performances.

Soyuncu and Jonny Evans have formed a strong partnership at the back, with Brendan Rodgers’ side conceding just eight goals in the league. Yet, with Evans having entered his 30s and Wes Morgan at the twilight of his career, the Foxes could do well with the signing of a young central defender.

Filip Benkovic performed extremely well on loan at Celtic last season but he hasn’t played a single game for Leicester since returning in the summer. Regardless of Benkovic’s presence, the Foxes lack depth in central defence and a player like Marlon could be a solid addition to the squad.

Marlon may have not enjoyed an ideal start to the new season, with Sassuolo having conceded 16 goals and lying 17th in the table, there’s no questioning his quality and potential to improve. Every single player has improved under Rodgers at Leicester and certainly he can develop his game as well.

The Brazilian is an excellent all-around defender blessed with technical skills, pace and strength in the air. He is a composed passer of the ball and can initiate attacks from the back with his distribution skills. A tenacious tackler, Marlon never hesitates to stick out his leg to stop the opposition’s advances and can make crucial interceptions for his team as well.

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Furthermore, the former Barcelona man can also be deployed as a right-back.

Verdict

Marlon will also be hungry to prove himself in a league as illustrious as the Premier League. So, it won’t be much of a problem for Leicester to prise the Rio de Janeiro-born defender away from Sassuolo in January.