Earlier this week, Leicester City announced their first signing of the summer transfer window, snapping up Austria skipper Christian Fuchs on a three-year deal. Arriving at the King Power on a free transfer, the former Schalke left-back – who reportedly rejected interest from Swansea and Aston Villa – cited Foxes boss Nigel Pearson as pivotal to his decision:
“I think the philosophy of the coach fits me well. He gave me a nice phone call. He told me about the philosophy that Leicester are playing. He’s simply a very nice chap. He’s a cool guy. He said to me that he’s very personal – he knows how to handle the players on a personal level, and he also convinced me about Leicester. I followed them last season, and it was an impressive escape at the end. Everybody knows about it, everybody saw it and everybody’s talking about it – the great escape. I’ve seen other people working here, how they play, and it’s fun to watch.”
The History
Fuchs cut his teeth at local clubs SVg Pitten and Wiener Neustadt, before earning a move to Austrian Bundesliga outfit SV Mattersburg at the age of 18. Following a five-year stint that harvested 15 goals and 24 assists in 155 appearances across all competitions, the set-piece specialist made the switch to the top tier of German football, signing for Bundesliga outfit VgL Bochum.
Fuchs produced six goals and eight assists in 57 appearances over two terms at his new club, yet was loaned out to Mainz 05 in the 2010/11 season. After serving up eight assists in 33 appearances, he subsequently courted the attention of Schalke, signing a four-year deal that expired this summer.
In his first season at the club, Schalke won the DLL-Supercup, courtesy of a penalty shoot-out against Borussia Dortmund. His final season with Die Königsblauen served up three goals in 27 outings in all competitions, including a strike during Schalke’s 4-3 victory over Real Madrid in their Champions League quarter-final. The left-back managed eight goals and 30 assists in 136 matches for the Bundesliga outfit before signing on at the King Power Stadium.
Fuchs also boasts international pedigree. Since making his debut for Austria in a friendly match against Croatia nine years ago, he’s chalked up 66 appearances for his country, registering a solitary goal along the way.
The Prospects
Versatile enough to operate on the left of a back-four or at left wing-back, Fuchs’ signing immediately casts doubts over Jeffrey Schlupp’s position at the King Power Stadium. With reports suggesting both Arsenal and Swansea are keeping tabs on Schlupp, the experienced Fuchs looks poised to oust the Ghanaian in Pearson’s first-team plans.
Akin to Schlupp, the Austrian defender would almost certainly be classified as a defender in the Fantasy Premier League (FPL) game, thus offering the same out-of-position potential for attacking returns, should Pearson continue to utilise the 3-4-1-2 formation that helped ensure Leicester’s survival last time out.
Fuchs’ assist potential certainly bodes well on the Fantasy front. Renowned for his crossing ability, particularly from a dead-ball, the Austrian produced 33 key passes in the last Bundesliga campaign, averaging 1.3 key passes per appearance – as compared to Schlupp’s 0.7 in the Premier League. Furthermore, his frequency of chances created (one every 59 minutes) would have placed him second only to Leighton Baines (41.9 minutes) among the Premier League’s defender roster in 2014/15. Like Baines, Fuchs can also provide a potent threat from direct free-kicks.
To compound his appeal, the Foxes’ rearguard is very much on our radars following their run of five cleans sheets in the final seven Gameweeks of last season. Given that Leicester ultimately finished the campaign with 55 goals against – the fourth worst defensive record in the Premier League – a price of 5.0 looks on the cards for their new recruit.
With points potential at both ends of the pitch, Fuchs could be poised to play a significant part in our five-man backlines for the season ahead. Summer appearances, offering clear indication of regular starts, could well ensure that Fuchs features heavily in the shake-up for our initial lineups.
