Having already boosted their attacking options this summer with the signing of Ahmed Musa, Leicester look to have made another exciting addition with the capture of Poland international Bartosz Kapustka.
The 19-year-old joins from Polish side Cracovia for an undisclosed fee, believed to be in the region of £7.5 million, and has penned a five-year deal with the reigning champions.
Speaking about his latest recruit, Leicester manager Claudio Ranieri outlined what we can expect from the young winger, while also hinting about possible rotation in the wide positions:
“He’s a very good player, good quality, he’s fast with good technique and he can help the team. Our wingers have to run a lot during all the matches, all the competitions until the end of the season and then I need to replace them sometimes!”
The History
Kapustka began his youth career at Tarnovia Tarnow and Hutnik Krakow in his native Poland before moving to Cracovia as a 16-year-old in 2012.
He made his professional debut for Cracovia against Widzew Lodz in March 2014, one of two league appearances during the 2013/14 campaign.
The following season saw Kapustka establish himself in the first-team squad, featuring in 23 league matches, where he scored two goals and provided a pair of assists.
It was only last year that Kapustka gained a regular starting berth, and in 35 league appearances, he managed to score twice and notch an impressive nine assists.
Having been earmarked as a potential star of the future from a young age, Kapustka represented his country at every youth level from Under 17 to Under 20, scoring one goal in 14 matches, before making his senior debut as a substitute against Gibraltar last September, netting in an 8-1 victory.
He followed that up with a goal and an assist in another cameo appearance off the bench in a 4-2 win over Iceland. Those remain his only international goals, but he further enhanced his burgeoning reputation at Euro 2016, starting in the 1-0 wins against Northern Ireland and Ukraine.
The Prospects
In his first season in charge, Ranieri was able to fully focus on the league, partly helped by Leicester’s exit to Spurs in the third round of the FA Cup.
Essentially, this meant that the Foxes main wingers were more or less immune to rotation – Riyad Mahrez made 37 appearances (36 starts) and Marc Albrighton played all 38 league matches, with four outings off the bench.
This time around, with Champions League matches also to consider, Ranieri will perhaps be more inclined to rotate in order to cope with the busier schedule.
Whilst Jamie Vardy and Mahrez – providing he stays – can be expected to start the vast majority of matches, the likes of Shinji Okazaki and Albrighton could be more prone to having their minutes managed.
The Italian’s counter attacking tactics places plenty of importance on having strong options in the wide areas, meaning that Kapustka, along with Musa and Demarai Gray, will offer Ranieri options in the final third when he’s looking to freshen up his line-up.
Kapustka has played a lot of his football on the left wing, cutting inside on his favoured right foot, although he is also capable of playing in both in a central attacking midfield role and on the right flank. The 19-year-old is very technically gifted, and is equally comfortable on his left foot.
His disciplinary record could be a possible caveat and something to monitor. Kapustka has been involved in several off the pitch controversies, whilst in Euro 16 he picked up three bookings in just four matches.
The Poland international could be priced at around 6.5 in Fantasy Premier League (FPL), but given the heavy competition for places in the wide areas, and the fact he’s missed the majority of Leicester’s pre-season, it’s unlikely he’ll provide much initial appeal.
It would be no surprise if Ranieri eases Kapustka into action in much the same way he did with Gray during the second half of last season, and those cameo appearances should hand us the ideal opportunity to asses how quickly the Pole can make an impact in the Premier League.
Fellow new boy Musa, meanwhile, has already shown what he’s capable of by netting twice against Barcelona in midweek, though his classification as a forward could be enough of a deterrent for some, particularly if he’s utilised out wide. If the Nigerian can oust Okazaki in the central support role, though, his price of 7.5 could yet turn a few heads. Certainly, he looks likely to be the chief beneficiary if Mahrez does leave before the summer window closes.
Encouragingly, Leicester’s fixture list during the opening five Gameweeks does offer up three favourable match-ups (hul, SWA, BUR), though for now, the likes of Mahrez and Vardy seem the safest picks as they look to hit the ground running in similar style to their title-winning season.
