Leicester City completed their first move of the summer transfer window with Thursday’s signing of Hull City defender Harry Maguire for an undisclosed fee, reportedly worth £17 million.
The 24-year-old put pen to paper on a five-year contract with the Foxes and will link up with his new team-mates in early July ahead of their pre-season training camp in Austria.
Speaking to the club’s official website, Maguire revealed that the Foxes fought off interest from a number of clubs to secure his services, while the former Sheffield United player outlined what Leicester fans can expect from their new signing:
“There were a number of clubs interested, but when I met the manager here, he pretty much swayed it into the direction of this club. He showed me the way that the club is going… With my experience in the Premier League, overall I set my sights on defending, but I can play with the ball at my feet and I’m comfortable doing so, so hopefully, I can show the fans that.â€
The History
Maguire came through the ranks of his hometown club Sheffield United to make his first-team debut at the age of 18 as a substitute against Cardiff City in April 2011.
He made four further appearances for the Blades during the 2010/11 campaign, but couldn’t prevent the club from being relegated to League One.
Maguire established himself as a regular starter the following season, making 44 league appearances, which yielded one goal and four assists.
He would make a further 85 league appearances over the following two seasons, registering eight goals and three assists, playing predominantly at centre-back.
His impressive performances prompted interest from both Hull City and Wolverhampton Wanderers, with the Tigers eventually snapping up the young defender in a deal worth £2.5 million in July 2014.
Maguire only made three Premier League appearances for Hull in 2014/15 though, with the defender sent out on loan to Championship outfit Wigan Athletic during the second half of the campaign, where he tallied one goal and an assist in 16 outings.
The Tigers were then relegated back to the Championship, but Maguire again struggled to nail down a regular starting spot in 2015/16, making just 24 league appearances.
It was only last season when Maguire established himself as a regular starter, playing 29 league matches, tallying two goals and two assists as the Tigers again suffered relegation.
Maguire made once appearance for England U21s against Northern Ireland in November 2012 but has yet to be capped at senior level.
The Prospects
Following a hugely impressive campaign – particularly once Marco Silva took charge at the KCOM Stadium – Maguire’s stock has soared rapidly.
He’ll arrive at Leicester to compete primarily with experienced duo Wes Morgan and Robert Huth – along with Yohan Benalouane – for a berth in central defence. However, he could also offer competition and cover for Danny Simpson at right-back.
After keeping 15 clean sheets in the 2015/16 title-winning campaign, the Foxes recorded just nine shut-outs last term.
Morgan struggled with back and hamstring injuries during the tail end of the season, and with the Jamaican and Huth aged 33 and 32 respectively, bolstering their centre-back options was a clear priority.
Maguire will be expected to command a regular starting role and with Morgan still the club captain at the King Power Stadium, it may be Huth who is most at risk.
Comparing the trio’s underlying statistics from last season, it was Maguire who clearly boasted a greater goal threat, averaging an attempt every 67.9 minutes, superior to both Huth (112.7) and Morgan (173.6).
Indeed, Maguire was second only to Chelsea’s Marcos Alonso for shots from inside the box among Fantasy Premier League (FPL) defenders, registering 24 over the course of the season, one less than the Blues wing-back.
His attacking strengths mark Maguire out as a rare talent at centre -back and perhaps a major target in FPL terms.
The former Sheffield United defender has produced goals and assists throughout his career; with a direct threat from dead-balls and also as a presence in the box at set-plays.
His defensive statistics are also strong in comparison with his new Leicester team-mates.
Despite making four Premier League starts at right-back, Maguire bettered Morgan for minutes per clearance, block and interception (CBI). He registered a CBI every 9.78 minutes, compared with 10.80 for Morgan, while Huth produced a CBI every 9.51 minutes.
The gap is even wider when it comes to tackles won.
Maguire’s spell at full-back gives him an advantage here but, even so, the comparison is stark. He produced a successful tackle every 59.2 minutes last season, with Morgan and Huth winning a challenge every 173.6 and 133.1 minutes respectively.
In both cases, this could and should give Maguire a clear advantage in the Bonus Points System (BPS). Morgan failed to produce a single bonus point last season, with Huth mustering just one, whereas Maguire totalled five.
As the player himself indicates, it’s fair to say that Maguire is far more comfortable on the ball than the current crop of Leicester centre-backs – he attempted 39 dribbles, completing 29; Morgan attempted eight, with Huth daring to dribble the ball just once all season.
Maguire has the confidence and ability to bring the ball out of defence to distribute passes.
He completed 76.2% of his passes last term, again stronger than both Huth (71.4) and Morgan (67.7). That created 11 chances for team-mates, with the Leicester pair generating six and four respectively.
Maguire’s presence could change the dynamic in central areas for Leicester and bring some extra quality in possession.
This may allow Craig Shakespeare to tweak his side’s tactics somewhat, relying less on the counter-attack and perhaps beginning to build from the back and through midfield with more regularity.
Coming off their title-winning season, both Morgan and Huth were priced at 5.0 in FPL last season, and that looks the likely price point for Maguire this time around.
That could well represent value during 2017/18, but Leicester’s tough opening schedule (ars, BRT, mun, CHE, hud, LIV) means that Maguire is unlikely to attract initial investment.
That testing start will allow Fantasy managers to sit back and analyse Shakespeare’s team selection and tactics to assess Maguire’s prospects when Leicester’s fixtures improve from Gameweek 7.
With just five clean sheets with Hull last season, Maguire should deliver stronger defensive returns this time around.
There is also clear evidence that he has the tools to dominate his centre-back team-mates to rival left-back Christian Fuchs in the shake-up for bonus points.
Add his considerable attacking threat, and it’s clear that Maguire could be one of the leading options available in the mid-price bracket should Leicester build on the momentum gained under Shakespeare.
