The possibilities of Wilfred Ndidi quitting Leicester City for a big-money move to either Real Madrid or Barcelona in the nearest future may be a ruse after all according to a reliable confidant of the ‘industrious Nigerian’ midfielder.
Ndidi who has established himself as a very important player in the Coach Brendan Rodgers squad since joining the team in 2016 has been linked with a possible move to Barcelona in recent times but a confidant of the star told NationSport on anonymity that insisted that ‘Ndidi is going nowhere’.
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The source, however, ruled out the possibility of Ndidi moving to Spain, saying with an air of finality: “Nothing is happening and anybody can talk (about Ndidi leaving Leicester City); just ignore them,” he stressed.
He, however, insisted that the former Nath Boys of Lagos star is committed to Leicester and ready to continue lifting the club where he has blossomed in the last three seasons.
The Super Eagles star was once seen as an underrated cog in the Leicester City machine, but his continued rising form has finally seen him appreciated by the masses.
The Nigerian teamed up with the former EPL champion from Belgium in 2016 with the near-impossible task of being Ngolo Kante’s successor.
But Ndidi has not only matched Kante’s influence on the Leicester team, but he may have even superseded it.
Even when he was out injured early this year, his vacuum was felt in the team which cost the team several loses as the holding midfielder does a lot of the dogged work in midfield, that can often go unnoticed. The Nigerian has made some clever decisions during gameplay that shape Leicester City’s formation.
According to Adrian Clarke on premierleague.com statistics, Ndidi has passed to full backs Ricardo Pereira (136) and Ben Chilwell (132) more than other players. This allows the players with pace to drive the ball up the pitch, with Ndidi therefore able to sit and maintain a deep position in front of the back four.
The 23-year-old also appears in the top six of all Premier League midfielders for interceptions, ball recoveries, tackles, tackles won, duels won and aerials won.
He may not be the most glamorous, but this however confirmed why European giants such as Barcelona are being linked with the midfielder.
This season, Ndidi has been side-lined by injury but has made 29 appearances in all competitions, scoring two goals for Leicester, while his contract with the Foxes runs out at the end of the 2023-2024 seasons.