Leicester City are battling AC Milan for the signing of Club Brugge’s attacking midfielder, Charles De Ketelaere. The Foxes became the first team in January to show their interest in the player. The 21-year-old is now on the wishlist of a few other clubs, but only AC Milan and Leicester City remain in the hunt. Reports have claimed that Leicester City are the front runners to sign De Ketelaere after making a big bid for him. However, they might find it difficult to convince the player to come and play for them in the English Premier League.
De Ketelaere started in all six UEFA Champions League group stage matches for Club Brugge. The Belgian team was knocked out of the group stage after playing against teams like PSG, Real Madrid, and RB Leipzig. The 21-year-old attacker was a regular part of the squad and managed one assist in the campaign. The above viz shows the pass start location as well as the threat created from passes at different time intervals. De Ketelaere featured on both sides of the field for his side and was flexible with his positioning. He tried to penetrate the opposition’s penalty box from the left side to attempt passes into dangerous areas for the opposition. The player averaged 3.85 dribbles and touches inside the opposition’s penalty box each per 90 minutes.
The 21-year-old averaged 22.76 passes per 90 minutes with a passing accuracy rate of 73.85%. He averaged around three passes per 90 minutes into the opposition’s penalty box. The above pass map shows all the passes attempted by De Ketelaere. He featured on both sides and tried to deliver some dangerous passes into the opposition’s penalty box. De Ketelaere was able to land his 20 passes into the opposition’s penalty box. Of these 20 passes, four landed inside the opposition’s penalty box. He averaged 1.93 crosses, 1.05 smart passes, and 1.4 through passes per 90 minutes. De Ketelaere attempted most of the passes towards Noa Lang and Hans Vanaken.
The player was unable to score a goal from the seven shots he attempted in the tournament. He managed to hit the target five times. The above viz shows that the player found spaces inside the opposition’s penalty box to receive passes and attempt shots or passes from inside the box. De Ketelaere was involved in 8.05 attacking actions per 90 minutes with a success rate of 43.48%. His team faced tough opponents in the group stage and struggled to create chances.
Charles De Ketelaere could be on the move away from the Belgian side. AC Milan are looking to sign him to secure their future, and Leicester City have been after him since the start of the year. The Foxes have presented a better offer than Milan, but they now have to convince the player to join the English club.
