Leicester City have made further moves to patch up their generous defence by signing Stoke City centre-back Robert Huth on loan for the remainder of the season. The German’s arrival at the King Power Stadium follows the capture of elder statesmen Mark Schwarzer earlier in the window – a direct response to Kasper Schmeichel’s ongoing injury travails since he fractured his metatarsal at the beginning of December.
Discussing the competition for places in Leicester’s rearguard, the 30-year-old hopes his top-flight know-how will boost his chances of nailing down a regular role:
“I’m not expecting to walk into the team, I know I’ve got to prove my worth and hopefully I can do that. I’ve been around for a few years and played in Premier League. Sometimes it needs just a calm head on the pitch to maybe calm the players down and hopefully I can help. It’s not one ingredient that you need [the survive]. I think Leicester have pretty much got it sorted. They just need a bit of luck, clean sheets and a few goals would help obviously to make it a lot easier. We’re only three points off safety at the moment, so one win and we’re back in it.”
The History
Born in East Berlin, Huth plied his trade for two local youth sides (VfB Fortuna Biesdorf and 1. FC Union Berlin) before being offered a contract by Chelsea in 2001. The 6ft 3in centre-half made his debut for the Blues at the age of 17 – as a half-time substitute in the last match of the 2001-02 campaign – but struggled to cement a regular position in the heart of defence. Over a five-year stint at Stamford Bridge, he scored twice in 62 appearances, with the likes of John Terry and William Gallas favoured by Jose Mourinho.
Frustrated with a lack of first-team opportunities in London, Huth made the switch to Middlesbrough in August 2006 in a £6 million deal, having failed a medical earlier in the window. This early hiccup proved to be a sign of things to come, with persistent ankle complaints restricting the German international to a meagre 25 appearances during his first two seasons with the north-east outfit.
Middlesbrough’s relegation to the Championship in 2009 prompted Huth to switch back to the Premier League and after scoring twice in 63 appearances, he moved to Stoke in a four-year deal. A stalwart throughout his first four years for the Potters, Huth only mustered 12 league outings last season by virtue of two consecutive knee operations – nonetheless, his threat in the box saw him score 13 times in 149 league outings, with the highlight being a six-goal tally back in 2010/11.
The Prospects
Huth’s arrival at Leicester could well be set to threaten the starting role of centre-back Marcin Wasilewski – 4.0 Fantasy Premier League (FPL) option. Having played every minute of the last 14 Gameweeks, the budget defender currently boasts a 4.7% FPL ownership and has notched three seven-point hauls in his last five outings, registering two clean sheets and a goal against Manchester United in the process. The Krakow native’s tally of 36 points so far this season places him second among the stable of defenders priced 4.2 or below, only trailing Sunderland’s Patrick van Aanholt (39) courtesy of the Dutchman’s 12-point showing this weekend against Burnley.
Certainly, having started all but one of the opening 23 Gameweeks, club captain Wes Morgan will surely retain his position, so it remains to be seen whether Huth – who is suspended this weekend due to recent social media comments – is seen as an ideal partner for the Foxes skipper. His propensity for picking up niggling injuries and lack of pitch time (four minutes this term) are strong concerns, however, and with Matthew Upson and Liam Moore also in the mix, there’s no shortage of options for Nigel Pearson.
Priced at 4.7 in the FPL, Huth’s arrival at the King Power is compounded further by the demotion of shot stopper Ben Hamer (4.1) to the bench at Old Trafford on Saturday, with Mark Schwarzer’s installation further reducing the pool of viable bargain bucket defensive coverage.
With a mere four shut-outs accrued this season, it’s fair to say that Pearson’s side have failed to impress at the back: the basement-dwellers have conceded 37 times. Given that only Burnley (38) and QPR (42) have conceded more, few will be willing to invest in their prospects of defensive returns. Essentially, Jeffrey Schlupp’s out of position potential on the left of midfield remains the likeliest source of points amongst the Foxes defenders. With three goals to his name so far, the Ghana international has proved decent value at just 4.5 but with trips to Arsenal, Everton and City in addition to a blank Gameweek in the next five, their short-term prospects look bleak.
Things brighten considerably for the season run-in, however, with Pearson’s side facing likely crucial home encounters with West Ham, Swansea, Newcastle and QPR over an obliging end to the campaign. From Gameweek 31, Fantasy managers may well look on the Leicester rearguard more favourably, with the goal threat of Schlupp and perhaps even Huth coming under consideration.
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