Things to know about Leicester transfer target Franculino | OneFootball

The King Power side have been heavily reliant on Jamie Vardy during this campaign. After Kelechi Iheanacho left at the end of our Championship promotion run, Patson Daka has struggled to get into the side and Tom Cannon has been exiled. The writing is on the wall: the Dutchman wants a new No. 9.

The latest link is to Franculino. We seem to be very interested in players from the Danish Superliga at the moment. The Guinea-Bassau international forward plays for Danish side FC Midtjylland after joining in the summer of 2023 when he left Benfica’s youth setup. There is certainly a pedigree and promise in the 20-year-old striker.

What Leicester City have to know

Ruud van Nistelrooy’s side are in desperate need of options. With one type of pressing-forward at the front, Leicester need a player who is versatile and can offer a more traditional striker role in the likeness of what our former Nigerian striker brought to the table.

The Foxes’ target offers a nearly complete package for a forward. From a physical perspective, multiple the player is extremely strong and tough, therefore hard to budge off the ball. Further, his speed represents a massive bonus on the counterattack, offering an explosive outlet from opposition pressure.

Defensively, Franculino presses defenders and deep midfielders to try and force a wayward pass. Usually, this does not include a tackle, but he will pounce on a misplaced pass to intercept and drive his team forward. The player does not come all the way back into deep defensive scenarios to support his team in that regard.

On the attack, there are two primary contributions offered by the Guinea-Bassau international. Firstly, due to his sheer strength at such a young age, Franculino can retain possession by slowing down and holding up the ball for wingers or attacking midfielders to link-up and create additional space. This is reflected in his assist tally. Secondly, Leicester would likely be interested in using his speed to stretch defenses and create dangerous opportunities with a disorganised defence.

The only major drawback currently seems to be passing, which the player does not portray a large passing range or variety. Shorter passes into space are preferred, but the striker does well linking up with wingers to progress the ball regardless of this. This is also counter-acted by Franculino’s brilliant ball retention and dribbling of the ball, allowing him to break the ball passed a midfielder and then use his pace to swiftly get away.

What Franculino would change at Leicester

For Ruud Van Nistelrooy’s King Power side, it is clear they need to refresh the lineup and become less reliant on the legendary English striker. As well as this, they need a forward who has the underlying physical attributes to replace Vardy, while also linking up closely with Abdul Fatawu. They need a promising, explosive, versatile striker.

Franculino is perhaps a perfect fit. They still offer the option of a forming a front two in defensive scenarios and pressing defenders into hurried passes - which has been the usual since the Dutchman took charge - but can also act as the focal point for progression up the pitch and retention of that progression when we get up the pitch. That utility is critical in a modern striker who could be uninvolved in the game for large swathes otherwise.

One can imagine the line-up including Fatawu, Bilal El Khannouss, Boubakary Soumare, and Franculino as one with plenty of defensive determination at different areas on the pitch, multiple ways to progress the ball, and plenty of creativity in creating and exploiting space. Leicester City needs a long term No. 9, that player might just be Franculino.