Leicester City have completed the signing of Timothy Castagne from Serie A side Atalanta. The Belgian joins on a five-year contract for a reported fee of €25 million.
Castagne is able to operate on either flank of the defence. Primarily he will be a replacement for the departed Ben Chilwell, although with reports that Ricardo Pereira may not recover from injury in time to start the season, Castagne could begin his Foxes career as a right-back.
Leicester City Sign Timothy Castagne
🔵 #WelcomeTimothy 🔵 pic.twitter.com/Loi1xadjIQ
— Leicester City (@LCFC) September 3, 2020
Versatility Key for Leicester
The 24-year-old is primarily a right-sided defender but has the ability to play on the left too. This versatility is going to be key for Leicester, particularly in the opening stages of the season.
With Chilwell gone, Leicester need a regular to play at left-back. Youngster Luke Thomas filled in well and put in some impressive performances at the back end of last season post-lockdown, but cannot be expected to carry that weight all season.
The Foxes also have a Europa League campaign to contend with this season, so will need as much depth as they can across the squad.
Injury to Pereira means Castagne could start out on the right for Leicester ahead of youngster James Justin, who has also shown that he can play on the left if needed.
Once Pereira does return, it’s likely Castagne will revert to the left, which will leave Justin and Thomas to act as the back-ups.
Joining Belgium Teammates
Castagne joins fellow Belgian’s Youri Tielemans and Dennis Praet at the King Power Stadium as Leicester look to challenge for the top four once again this season. He will look to make an instant impact as Ben Chilwell’s replacement.
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