The past 12 months, both on and off the pitch, have been dismal for Leicester City. A second relegation in three years, a complete disconnect from fans, and major financial issues. It’s fair to say much of this stems from the top, and more importantly, the leadership of Aiyawatt ‘ Top’ Srivaddhanaprabha. Despite this, one of the only positives throughout this period has been the Leicester academy. Whilst Marti Cifuentes is quick to praise the wealth of talent coming through at Seagrave, he is also contradictory when putting this into action. Therefore, with City now in 10th place, and with just eight points from their last eight games, is it time for a change?<\/p>\n
Since moving to Seagrave, a plethora of talents have managed to make the step up to the first team. Tom Collomosse even described City’s academy as the ‘Envy of Europe’<\/a>, which further highlights the quality. Some of the most notable names to have come through the club’s system recently include Jeremy Monga, Louis Page,\u00a0 Trey Nyoni and Tyrese Noubissie, although the latter two left for Liverpool and Manchester City, respectively.<\/p>\n Aside from Monga registering over 500 minutes, many of the other academy talents have fallen out of the picture. Ben Nelson, who saw links to Chelsea<\/a> in the summer and was described by Enzo Maresca as ‘perfect’<\/a>, hasn’t made one league appearance this year. In addition to this, the centre-back hasn’t even made the bench since August, which further adds to the frustration. Whilst Nelson did struggle in his only start in the cup against Huddersfield, is it right that he can’t even make the squad? Despite the lack of minutes, Cifuentes has had this to say<\/a> about the young defender:<\/p>\n “I\u2019m a big believer in Ben, and I want Ben to have minutes and to push to improve, to show he can be there. It\u2019s good that there is this competition.”<\/p>\n Read More: <\/strong>Jeremy Monga The Key to Leicester City Bouncing Straight Back to the Premier League<\/a><\/p>\n It isn’t only Nelson who has lacked minutes so far this season, as full-back Olabade Aluko is yet to play a competitive minute. The 19-year-old defender is highly rated around Seagrave and even made his Premier League debut last season against Bournemouth. His form has even led to a call-up to the England U20 team alongside teammate Page. Despite the accolades, Cifuentes continues to opt for Luke Thomas at left-back. Whilst Thomas does have a vast amount of experience, it is important to remember that he struggled on loan at both Sheffield United and Middlesbrough, and was deemed not good enough<\/a> by Maresca.<\/p>\n With the full-backs incredibly important to Cifuentes’ system, it’s hard to see why Aluko is yet to feature. He has much more adaptability to his game, as he can play at centre-back and is comfortable using both feet. To add to this, he boasts incredible athleticism, with long legs helping him eat up ground. Furthermore, Aluko is also technical enough to invert into midfield, as shown by his recent goal<\/a> for the Under-21s side.<\/p>\n Read More: <\/strong>Leicester City Academy: Stars Poised for Breakthrough<\/a><\/p>\n Jake Evans is yet another highly promising prospect that seems completely out of favour under Cifuentes. Like Aluko, the 17-year-old featured towards the end of last season, as Ruud Van Nistelrooy clearly backed the young forward. With more minutes in pre-season, Evans seemed to be an option coming into the campaign, especially considering he can play on either wing and up front.<\/p>\n However, this hasn’t come to fruition, and Evans has spent the entire season with the under-21s. Despite the setback, he has continued to impress and has even managed to tally a stunning seven goal contributions in his last eight appearances. This follows after his exceptional last campaign, where he picked up the club’s Under-21 player of the season award and scored 17 goals. With Jordan Ayew, Patson Daka and Julian Carranza tallying a combined one goal this season, is it time for Evans to get his chance? Whilst an opportunity won’t come soon, as he is representing England at the upcoming under-17s World Cup in Qatar, the young striker certainly should be an option.<\/p>\n Read More: <\/strong>Leicester City\u2019s Game-Changing Teenage Midfielder on Verge of Stardom<\/a><\/p>\n Alongside Evans, academy teammate Page will also be present at the under-17s World Cup. Unlike the other names, Page has had opportunities in the first team this year. This was mostly due to the uncertainty of Bilal El Khannouss, which left City with no one to play the number 10 role. In his two league starts against Charlton and Birmingham, Page had his struggles, but also presented a lot of positives, given it was his first games at the level. He often combined well with Monga on the left and even provided a crucial assist for Abdul Fatawu early on.<\/p>\n Since these two games in August, Leicester have won just one game, and Page hasn’t made a single squad. As a result, he has featured much more for the under-21s, with Jordan James and Aaron Ramsey taking precedence. Although the deadline day duo have been some of City’s better players, it’s fair to question whether Page deserves more opportunities. With Ramsey now on the sidelines following an injury<\/a> at Millwall, this could be just the turning point that the youngster needed.<\/p>\n First of all, it’s evident these players have quality. They may lack experience, but they also offer qualities that are missing within the squad. For instance, Aluko’s flexibility in different roles could bode well, especially as Thomas has been continuously targeted this season, due to both his awkwardness on the ball and subpar physicality. Similarly, the striker options have struggled to get off the mark, so does it hurt to try and utilise Evans, and see if he can offer something different?<\/p>\n As mentioned prior, the Foxes have picked up just one win since August, which has subsequently left them in 10th place. Considering that it’s many of the same players from last year that continue to underwhelm, fans want to see something different. The likes of Jannik Vestergaard, Wout Faes, Patson Daka and Boubakary Soumar\u00e9 have all become synonymous with the decline of the club, as they all featured in the two relegations. The discontent from fans is ever-growing when these same players continue to underwhelm on their major contracts.<\/p>\n Read More: <\/strong>Five Leicester City Academy Graduates Who Played for England<\/a><\/p>\nOlabade Aluko<\/h3>\n
Jake Evans<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Louis Page<\/h3>\n
Why The Academy Needs To Play<\/h3>\n
Rebuild<\/h3>\n