Having already secured the services of Ron-Robert Zieler, Luis Hernandez, Raul Uche Rubio and Nampalys Mendy in this transfer window, Leicester City broke their club record transfer fee earlier this month to capture forward Ahmed Musa for a reported £16 million.
The 23-year-old joins the Foxes from Russian side CSKA Moscow, and has penned a four-year deal with the Premier League champions. Speaking to the club’s official website, Musa expressed his delight at securing a move to last season’s surprise package:
“I feel very happy joining Leicester City, for me it’s one of the best clubs and I feel very happy. I joined because it’s one of the best clubs in the Premier League and they are like a family. That’s why I joined Leicester City and I’m very excited. I look forward to seeing the fans in the new season and I will do my best to make them happy.”
The History
Born in Jos, Nigeria, Musa started out at GBS Football Academy, and spent loan spells at Nigerian sides JUTH FC and Kano Pillars between 2008 and 2010. During the second of those temporary stints, Musa scored 18 goals in 25 appearances, breaking a league record.
He moved to Dutch side VVV-Venlo is 2010, producing seven goals and nine assists in 27 matches during the 2010/11 campaign as Venlo avoided relegation from the Eredivisie via a play-off. The following season saw Musa bag three goals and as many assists in 14 league appearances before joining CSKA Moscow in January 2012.
Over the course of four-and-a-half years in Russia, Musa served up 42 goals and 23 assists over 125 league outings and won three league titles. He also gained valuable Champions League experience, playing 24 matches in total, scoring six goals and adding four assists.
The 23-year-old made his senior international debut against Madagascar in August 2010, before scoring his first goal in a friendly against Kenya in March 2011. He featured in both the 2013 African Cup of Nations and the 2013 Confederations Cup, while he notably scored twice in Nigeria’s 3-2 defeat to Argentina in the 2014 World Cup. Musa has netted 11 times in 58 appearances for his country.
The Prospects
With Leicester boss Claudio Ranieri having to juggle domestic matters with a Champions League campaign this season, the Italian clearly needed to add both quality and depth to his squad. Musa certainly helps tick both of those boxes, with the Nigerian capable of playing both out wide and up front.
Ranieri mainly favoured a 4-4-1-1 formations last term, so it could be the places of Marc Albrighton, on the left of midfield, and Shinji Okazaki, in the support striker role, that will be most at threat from the arrival of Musa. It’s worth remembering the heavy burden that was placed on both Riyad Mahrez and Jamie Vardy last season, with the versatile Musa likely to allow Ranieri to ease the strain on his star duo, particularly towards the end of matches.
Musa’s main attribute is his searing pace, while he also has the ability to dribble past defenders and put dangerous crosses into the box. Like many young attackers, his delivery can be slightly inconsistent, but one strength of his game is an ability to hold onto the ball and retain possession for his side. Essentially, he looks an ideal fit for the Foxes, then, who are at their most dangerous when counter-attacking.
Delving into Musa’s underlying statistics from last season, he averaged a shot every 34.9 minutes, which was better than Mahrez (36.4), and also compared favourably to Jamie Vardy (28.6), who played as a central striker. Okazaki and Albrighton, meanwhile, only managed a goal attempt every 45.3 and 66.4 minutes respectively. In terms of key passes, Albrighton perhaps surprisingly led the way, registering a key pass every 44.7 minutes, compared to Mahrez (45), Vardy (65.4), Musa (67.2) and Okazaki (103.7).
Our opinion of Musa as a Fantasy prospect also depends on his classification in Fantasy games and likely position under Ranieri. Given that he started 16 league matches for CSKA as a central striker last term, there’s every chance he could be listed as a forward in Fantasy Premier League (FPL), which would limit his appeal if he claims the left wing berth from Albrighton, for example.
Ideally, he’d come in as a midfielder, then, with a price of around 7.5, thus offering what is likely to be a cheaper route into the Foxes’ attack if, as expected, Mahrez and Vardy are promoted to the premium price bracket as expected.
The Nigerian will need to acclimatise to life in England first, though, and may be eased into life in the top-flight off the bench. It won’t be easy to displace either Albrighton or Okazaki in Ranieri’s first-choice starting XI either, given the contributions the pair made last season.
Leicester’s opening fixtures are fairly favourable, with home matches against Swansea and Burnley and a trip to Hull on the opening day looking potentially profitable for Foxes attackers. The champions do also face Arsenal and Liverpool in the opening five Gameweeks, though, which may deter initial investment in a player just settling into his new surrounds.
Ultimately, whilst Musa’s arrival looks good news for the champions’ prospects, his acquisition certainly strengthens the notion that we may now see Ranieri revert to “Tinkerman” mode in order to cope with a busy schedule.
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