For Leicester City, relegation from the Premier League has been a case of “when” and not “if” for much of this season.
Despite a positive campaign in the Championship last time out, in which they secured another second-tier title, they have struggled to replicate that form on their return to the top flight and have resembled a rudderless ship destined for the rocks for many months now.
With that in mind, the mathematical confirmation of their drop back down the divisions at the weekend, following a 1-0 defeat to champions-elect Liverpool, came as no surprise to anyone.
What stood out was that it was their ninth consecutive home game in which they had failed to score (a new Premier League record), and that sums up their season in many ways.
Simply put, Leicester have become too reliant on veteran former England striker and club talisman Jamie Vardy, with so much of their game built around his strengths on the field.
The fact that the 38-year-old has only netted seven times to date this time around means that the club have been found wanting in front of goal as a result.
The time is near for Ruud van Nistelrooy to sign another striker, if they want to make their stay in the Championship as brief as possible.
With that in mind, this data analysis will examine what Vardy offers Leicester in terms of their tactics, as well as why they will miss him if he does move on this summer.
The scout report will also highlight three potential replacements that the club could target as part of their much-needed rebuild.
Jamie Vardy Role At Leicester City
In many ways, Jamie Vardy is part of a dying breed of strikers.
Whilst so much of the modern game revolves around having players at the top of the field who can bring others into play, Vardy is much more inclined to sit on the shoulder of the opposing defensive line and to make rapid runs in behind as soon as his teammates gain possession.
Jamie Vardy Statistics At Leicester City 2024/2025
This, and Leicester City’s style of play being based around exploiting that natural pace, is the reason that he ranks so highly in percentile terms for aerial duels won.
What is especially striking is that he doesn’t actually compete in as many battles as other Tier 1 and 2 strikers do, and that further cements the fact that it is one of his key strengths.
The issue that Leicester has encountered this season, however, is that this pace has rarely been converted into anything meaningful.
It has already been mentioned that Vardy has netted just seven times this season, but he also sits very low in the bands for shots and dribbles.
Therefore, despite his natural speed, he has struggled to test defenders consistently, and the lack of quality shown by the backup trio of Jordan Ayew, Patson Daka, and on-loan Crystal Palace forward Odsonne Édouard has not helped matters.
This is not to say that Vardy has been lacking in effort this season.
What is shown is that he has attempted to be more creative than he perhaps was in previous campaigns.
As can be seen, he ranks among the median for passing accuracy, so he is learning to work with those around him and to be less one-dimensional.
Despite all of that, though, Vardy’s age is still very much the elephant in the room, and there is no getting away from the fact that he is nearing the end of his career.
Leicester have enjoyed plenty of high points with him spearheading their attack, but the time is fast approaching when they will have to adapt to life without him.
Matija Frigan Scout Report At Westerlo
Whether that will be next season or not remains unclear, as he and the club have yet to confirm whether he will sign a new contract.
However, regardless of his situation, there is a definite need for Leicester City to invest in their forward line this summer if they want to have a chance of returning to the Premier League as soon as possible.
One player they could look at is Matija Frigan, who currently plays for Westerlo in the Belgian Pro League.
Whilst the Antwerp-based club have endured a mediocre campaign, the Croatian has caught plenty of eyes and has been linked with a move to England in the past.
Jamie Vardy Vs Matija Frigan Stats 2024/2025
What could make him a good fit for Leicester’s style of play is that Matija Frigan profile is not too different to Vardy’s, with there being plenty of similarities in the two players’ games.
In particular, his goal contributions in percentile terms provide positive reading, with him sitting in the same band as the Leicester player and so offering the same attacking threat.
At the same time, he competes in as many aerial duels, so Leicester would not need to disrupt the dynamic that they have long based their game on too much if they did decide to move for his services.
It might sound unappealing to Leicester fans to simply look for the same type of player, and that’s fair enough, given the issues they’ve encountered this time around.
However, it is worth noting that Frigan has scored nine goals to date this season, two more than Vardy has managed.
He would therefore also bring a slightly enhanced offensive threat and could help remedy some of the issues that Leicester have encountered.
Couple that with Frigan having more shots on goal in percentile terms too, and he could prove to be a solid player for the East Midlands side to target this summer.
Lucas Stassin Scout Report At Saint-Étienne
However, with Leicester City not the only team interested in Frigan’s services (Sunderland were reportedly close to adding him to their ranks in January), and with the Croatian not managing to reach double figures for goals, perhaps there is a need to look for someone who can score on a more regular basis.
If that were the case, one name that comes to mind is Lucas Stassin.
Jamie Vardy Vs Lucas Stassin Stats 2024/2025
Despite Saint-Étienne’s struggles in Ligue 1 this season, with them in the relegation places and facing an immediate return to Ligue 2, the Belgian has been in relatively good form.
To date, he has found the net on 12 occasions and picked up the man-of-the-match award at the weekend, as his team gained an impressive victory over high-flying Europa League quarter-finalists Lyon.
His statistics highlight the end product that he offers, with this graphic indicating that he has registered approximately the same touches inside the goal area in percentile terms as Frigan, but has contributed to more goals and registered a higher number of shots on goal.
Given that he has scored four more than the Croatian, it could be that Leicester see him as someone who can provide the test for defensive lines that they have been sorely missing this season.
Another factor that might see Leicester favour him over Frigan is his passing accuracy.
It has already been mentioned that Vardy has been attempting to implement that into his own game this season, though with limited achievement.
With that in mind, Leicester could look to build on this and add a striker who can bring more success, which could see Stassin viewed as a better choice to target this summer.
Eliezer Mayenda Scout Report At Sunderland
Nevertheless, anyone who watches the Championship knows that sides that want to thrive in it need to have players who have previously experienced it, as it is one of the most challenging leagues to compete in.
For that reason, it might be wise for Leicester City not to look abroad to bolster their forward line, but instead to attempt to add someone who knows what it takes to find the net in the second tier.
Jamie Vardy Vs Eliezer Mayenda Stats 2024/2025
With that in mind, one player who could be looked at is Eliezer Mayenda.
Having featured 35 times for promotion-chasing Sunderland this season, scoring eight goals, he has demonstrated that he has what it takes to find the back of the net at that level and, therefore, could be the perfect player for Leicester to target.
The goal tally itself stands out, but other aspects of his game also need to be highlighted.
In particular, the fact that he has picked up five assists simultaneously shows that he can score goals but also create them for others.
As a result, he could operate within the current Leicester structure but would also be able to adapt if a new coach (should incumbent Ruud van Nistelrooy depart) opted to do things differently.
That is reflected in this graphic, which shows that Mayenda ranks the highest out of all three prospective targets in terms of progressive passes and dangerous passes made.
Previous analysis has highlighted his ability to hold the ball up when needed, slowing the tempo down and enabling others to join him.
This could match what Leicester realistically needs, considering they have Bilal El Khannouss and Stephy Mavididi as options in the same area of the field.
Both have shown that they can provide some threat inside the field and could unite well with a striker who works closely with them, and that could be where Mayenda is favoured more than either Frigan or Stassin.
This is not to say that Mayenda is only good at working with others; it is also clear to see when looking at his statistics that he sits within the top two percentile bands for shots on goal and is near the top for touches in the opposing penalty area.
Therefore, he is just as capable of taking matters into his own hands when needed.
That ability to bring the best of both worlds (added to the fact that Sunderland seem to be hunting for a new striker) could make him a good player for Leicester to have a closer look at.
Conclusion
In conclusion, this data analysis has sought to highlight three potential attackers that Leicester City could consider as they begin to plan for life back in the Championship, with it not yet clear whether star striker Jamie Vardy will remain at the club.
Regardless, it is abundantly clear that changes are needed.
When looking back at Leicester’s campaign, addressing the forward areas certainly has to be a priority for them this summer, with a lack of goals being their primary issue as the season has progressed.
All three have the potential to pose a threat to Leicester’s offensive play, and all possess the raw characteristics necessary to fit into their tactical model.
What will concern the Leicester faithful, though, is that there is still no news of how much will be made available to bring in new players.
Money is still tight, and finances do not seem to have significantly improved, despite the low-key windows the club has been through lately.
However, the simple fact is that having another disappointing summer cannot happen if they are to rediscover their old form, and adding more firepower needs to be near the top of the to-do list.
