Marti Cifuentes could have serious Leicester City weapon on his hands - He’s a real talent | OneFootball

Will Alves has bags of potential and could be set to realise that at Leicester City this season

Step one of Leicester City's rebuild looks set to be completed in the coming days, as a new manager is said to be heading through the door in Marti Cifuentes.

If the former QPR boss does land the job, as reported, then there'll be a lot of decisions to make in the month leading up to the 2025/26 season, Leicester's second Championship campaign in three years.

The Foxes' squad currently looks solid for the level, but there's no doubt that departures will be imminent. There's already talk about Wilfried Ndidi departing soon after a £9 million relegation release clause was revealed in his contract.

In attacking areas, Stephy Mavididi and Abdul Fatawu could form yet another dangerous wide duo, but after tearing up the second tier during their 2023/24 title-winning season, perhaps they may feel that they are worthy of a move to a top league.

If that happens, then Cifuentes may need to turn to some of his younger up-and-coming talent, and Will Alves could perhaps be one player to make a big step into a promotion-challenging side this term.

Will Alves has a lot to prove, but could do well at Leicester City

Since joining the club at Under-9s level, Will Alves has been one of the standouts of the Leicester City academy.

The versatile attacking midfielder made his Foxes debut as a 16-year-old in an FA Cup win over Watford, and has since appeared in sporadic EFL Cup and EFL Trophy games whilst also playing as part of Leicester's U21 squad.

Last season saw the 20-year-old earn his first loan move away from the King Power Stadium, but not before he made his first Premier League appearance from the bench against Manchester City in the first half of the campaign.

He joined Championship side Cardiff City in January, with his first regular senior minutes coming via a baptism of fire almost as the Bluebirds struggled and were eventually relegated. Despite this, Alves shone in several different positions and ended the season with a goal and three assists in just eight starts.

As a young attacking player experiencing his first proper taste of regular senior football, it was tough to come in and try to create chances for a team which wound up finishing bottom.

However, Alves still showed signs of being an exciting player, and perhaps in a squad with more quality and that is expected to land near the top of the division, the 20-year-old could thrive in a Leicester side under Marti Cifuentes.

Marti Cifuentes may be forced to use Will Alves more than expected, but this may not be a bad thing

Leicester's financial situation remains up in the air nearly two months on from the charge for their alleged breach of the EFL's financial rules. Perhaps it may end up being the case that the Foxes will have to be sensible with their spending this summer, and if the likes of Fatawu or Mavididi move on, expensive reinforcements might not be on the cards.

If this happens, then 20-year-old Alves may find himself in the side more often than he may have expected this season.

This could once more be seen as a baptism of fire, as the exciting youngster may likely need another loan away from the King Power to harness his potential away from a senior squad that may be better than him currently.

Although looking at it from a different perspective, it could offer the chance for Alves to prove himself, and his growth may rapidly accelerate whilst playing regularly for Leicester.

The 20-year-old averaged 0.4 assists and 1.61 successful dribbles per 90 minutes whilst on loan at Cardiff last season, so a full campaign playing alongside high-end Championship talent could give him the confidence to take on players and create better chances at a higher rate.