Max Kofler: Die Revolution

Anfield is a tough place to visit, so I'm sure you were delighted to get a point from there in your first game. A good result for our beloved Wiener, for sure.

Great result. Not a bad debut at the Premier League for Kofler.

---

Leicester City have confirmed the signing of Francisco Trincão from FC Köln on a four-year-deal.

Leicester have completed the signing of FC Köln winger Francisco Trincão for a fee of around £20,000,000. The 21-year-old becomes Max Kofler's first signing as Leicester City boss following his appointment earlier this week. Kofler worked with Trincão at Köln, where he spent over two years as head-coach before departing in December.

Trincão has penned a four-year-deal which keeps him at the club until June 2025. It is believed a fee of £12,000,000 is to be paid, with a further £8,000,000 to be paid over the next twelve months in instalments to the German side.

The Portuguese winger said he was excited by the prospect of continuing his development under his former manager at Leicester, who succeeded former head-coach Brendan Rodgers upon taking the reigns at the King Power Stadium.

Arriving from SC Braga in July 2019 for £2,800,000, Trincão enjoyed a fantastic debut season in the Bundesliga last term, netting eleven times in thirty-three appearances. However, the 21-year-old winger has failed to replicate his blistering form so far this season, scoring just twice in seventeen games, but continues to be one of Europe's hottest properties.

Yet to be capped at senior level, the Portuguese scarlet has plenty of experience at U20 level and is currently being monitored by the Portuguese senior head-coach, Marco Silva.

Speaking to the club's website, Max Kofler was delighted to finalise the deal: "I am delighted to be reunited with Francisco. We enjoyed a fantastic season together last campaign and he is an excellent young player with a tremendously professional attitude. I know what I'm getting with him and that's something very important at this moment in time."

"I know I can put my trust in Francisco to deliver. It sounds crazy to say that about someone so young, but the talent he possesses is what makes him different from other players his age. He has a real calibre about him and he'll really impress over the next few months. He's a player who thrives under pressure and that's what we're under right now. I cannot stress how important I think his arrival is."

Trincão will be available for Leicester's game against AFC Bournemouth on Saturday, with Kofler managing in-front of his home crowd for the first time since joining the club on Sunday.

Kofler also refused to rule out the possibility of bringing in more players before the transfer window closes on 1st February.

"There's a strong possibility our work isn't done just yet. I think the squad is lacking in one or two areas and bringing in some further depth is something we can't afford to rule out. I can't say much more than that, but certainly, I think one or two more moves are in the pipeline." He said.

The Foxes are heavily linked with Manchester City midfielder Nabil Bentaleb. The Algerian joined City in January last year from FC Schalke 04 for £30,000,000, but has failed to register a single minute of first-team football this season under Carlo Ancelotti.

Bentaleb's wage demands could prove to be a stumbling block for Leicester, however, with the 26-year-old on £86,000 p/w at the Etihad. It is increasingly likely he would request for an increase in to be tempted to the King Power.

Replies

SoA: Anfield can be a very daunting place to go, so you're very much correct in saying it's an impressive result, personally. Hopefully Max can capitalise on it with a victory against Bournemouth.

Jim: Not biased at all.

Jack: Kofler will be keen on showing that it simply wasn't a one-off result. It's a strong result indeed, but he needs to stamp some consistency into the squad and look to get three points on the board quickly. The team have gone many, many weeks without a Premier League victory. The weight needs to be lifted off their shoulders sooner rather than later.

Justice: The wiener was very excited at full-time.

Slipky: His debut could have gone much worse, that's for sure!

Interesting to see Kofler showing a bit of loyalty towards his former Koln colleagues with this signing as he was majorly impressive under his wing in Germany. The wings are an area that need more improvement than most, especially if Leicester play with one up front. Bentaleb would be a good addition to the midfield, however.

A star signing already, and a familiar face too! He'll prove a major asset to the football club and should hopefully be able to add some goal involvement to the squad.

Trincao is fantastic. Great signing and i'm sure he'll adapt to the Premier League from the outset.

A great first signing for Max. A player he knows well and has served under him before and served very well, especially that first season. Hopefully he can replicate that same sort of form at Leicester.

Trincao is an amazing player. I have some personal experience with him in a past save, so I'm glad to "see" him again. This dude is a legit beast. You have gotten yourself an impressive signing.

---

After my arrival at Leicester City, I was required to work quickly and closely with my nearest advisers in-order to plug the gaps of the squad we noticed when evaluating the squad. So, I present to you our January transfer window...

The first arrival at the club was someone I knew well from my time in Germany. We were in dire need of bringing in a suitable, young option on the left and we did so by signing Francisco Trincão from 1. FC Köln. I know exactly what we're getting with the Portuguese star; a quick, tricky winger who is able to take-on defenders and leave them for dead. That's exactly what we need in-order to try and fashion chances for our, so far, underwhelming forwards.

Last season we enjoyed great success together and we formed a good relationship together. I brought him in from SC Braga last summer and to renew our working relationship is something I'm very excited by. For a young player, he has already shown his capabilities at the highest level in the Bundesliga, scoring eleven times last season and featuring in all but one of our league fixtures. He already has experience in Europe and that's where we aim to be very soon. This signing is not just one for the here and now, it's one for the distant future, too.


Next to join the club was Rolando Mandragora from Serie B side Udinese for a fee of £11,500,000 on a four-year-deal. The 23-year-old is a natural central-midfielder and someone we identified as the perfect replacement for Nabil Bentaleb - who were unable to facilitate a move for due to his unreasonable wage demands, among other things. I've had my eye on Rolando for a while now and he was someone we were very close to bringing in at Köln.

Already capped by Italy, Udinese's relegation to the Italian second-tier presented us the perfect opportunity to tempt him to the King Power Stadium as he was unhappy to continue playing at a lower-level knowing there was interest from top-flight clubs. Having once been on the books at Juventus, he has a tremendous amount of potential to unlock and he'll really push Hamza Choudhury to the limit, something which will hopefully allow him to get the best out of his game, too. Ultimately, this signing brings some healthy competition to the pair of Choudhury and the more experienced Adrien Silva, in which didn't exist beforehand.

Making eighteen appearance thus far this campaign, Mandragora has scored once and assisted twice. Naturally a more deep-lying option in the midfield, he has recorded an average rating of 7.08 across this season and has been one of the most impressive midfielders in the division. In the past three seasons, the Naples-born star has only missed twelve games in Serie A - across a solitary season with Crotone and two with Udinese. I strongly believe he'll adapt to England, and the Premier League, quickly.


Taking our tally to three is the arrival of left-back Matthew Targett from Sky Bet Championship side Queens Park Rangers. The 25-year-old joins the club on a three-year-deal for a fee of £5,500,000, having spent the last eighteen months at Loftus Road after joining from Southampton.

Targett came through the youth ranks at St Mary's and made twenty eight appearances - seven of which came in his last full season at the club. With Premier League experience under his belt, he provides reasonable competition for Ben Chilwell, who we managed to retain the services of come the end of the transfer window, despite numerous offers - totalling up to £50,000,000 - for the defender.

Despite managerial changes at QPR this season - with Fernando Morientes initially in-charge before he was sacked to make way for Dean Keates, who was appointed on 1st December - Targett has made twenty-four appearances and been a regular fixture in the R's defence this season.

For such a low-risk fee, I look forward to witnessing what Matt brings to the table. He is still relatively young and has a lot of years ahead of him. I sense he and Ben will form a good relationship with one-another and hopefully he really pushes Ben over the rest of the season, as he's been playing with no element of risk. He hasn't had someone there to replace him should his performances not be up to scratch, so this is a real test for him now.


Our final signing of the window came on Deadline Day when we welcomed a much-needed striking option to the club. With his contract due to expire in the summer, FC Porto were keen on selling the Cameroonian forward to prevent losing him for free come the end of the season, so we were able to bring him to the club for just £8,000,000. Signing a three-year-deal to join Leicester City is Cameroon international Vincent Aboubakar.

Vincent has been an integral part of Porto's squad since his arrival from FC Lorient in 2014 - ignoring a season-long loan spell with Turkish side Beşiktaş J.K. in 2016/17 - but wanted a new challenge, despite continuing to be his side's lead man up-front this season. Capped ninety times by his country, Aboubakar scored eight league goals and also scored in Porto's 3-1 win against Celtic in the UEFA Champions League in September.

He comes to England with a proven record of scoring goals. Aboubakar scored sixty-nine goals across 135 appearances in Portugal, including eleven goals in Liga NOS in his last full season at the club. I am delighted to welcome him to Leicester City and have full confidence that he will aid our woes in-front of goal. He has a proven record and plenty of experience in Europe, which gave him an edge over other attacking options we were considering bringing to the club.

Admittedly, we would have preferred to bring a younger attacker to the club, but unfortunately we were unable to find a suitable option that met this criteria. That will be something we revisit in the summer. For now, we welcome Vincent to the club and look forward to witnessing what impact he makes at the King Power this season.


A total fee of £45,000,000 has been spent to bring in the four players we have. The remaining budget will be put aside for the summer transfer window.

The club saw no permanent outgoings during the January window, but did allow a trio of first-team players to depart on loan for the remainder of the season. The first of those was Nampalys Mendy to Sevilla, with the Senegalese unhappy at the club, I granted him the opportunity to move to Spain. There is no option to buy, so we will see the 28-year-old return to the club at the end of the season. The deal was partly underway before I joined the club, but having discussions with the player, I realised it would be in both parties interests to allow him to leave.


The second player to leave the club was out-of-favour striker Kelechi Iheanacho to Sky Bet Championship side Millwall. The Nigerian has struggled to feature at all in the past few seasons and was loaned out to Greek outfit PAOK last season, where he featured just once and failed to make an impact. The opportunity to go out on loan once again is one which gives Kelechi a chance to find his goal-scoring touch once again, something which has been missing his arrival at the King Power Stadium from Manchester City in 2017.


The final departure was Harvey Barnes to fellow Premiership side Cardiff City. The Welsh side see Barnes as someone who will play a role in their bid to survive in the top-flight after promotion last season. An offer was made on Deadline Day which I gladly accepted, as the 23-year-old is more likely to see minutes on the pitch at the Cardiff City Stadium than at the King Power. Having been a peripheral figure in the past eighteen months, the move suits everyone involved and I look forward to welcoming back an improved player at the end of the season.


Obviously, no money has been recouped. However, we will be saving money in the wage department with the three clubs all putting towards the wages of the players brought in. The summer will be where we look to offload deadwood and those players I deem surplus to requirements. The time between now and the end of the season is one for players to impress me.

Replies

Jack: Sometimes it's best to stick with the tried and tested. Unfortunately, Bentaleb proved to be someone we were unable to bring in. His wage demands exceeded over £100k p/w, alongside a ridiculous agent fee, and that was something we were unwilling to cater for when there were talented options for a much better price, available.

Justice: I still think £20,000,000 is a real coup in today's market when you consider his age and talent!

SoA: He found his feet in the Bundesliga reasonably quickly, so I have the faith he'll do the same in the Premier League.

LFC: Hopefully! Leicester are in dire need of some real quality in attack.

Jim: He proved his worth in Germany, so hopefully he can do the same in England. He certainly is a special player and I have confidence he'll live up to our expectations!

Four incredible signings, particularly Mandragora. The Italian midfielder is an incredibly intelligent player and will be a beast in your team. Good to see you sign an upgrade on Chilwell too.

Some decent additions that are no doubt better than what you had, particularly with Aboubakar coming in to replace Iheanacho’s move on loan.

Strengthening the squad in the best way possible I see! As I stated before, Trincao is probably the best one there (biased ). Max is doing some great business!

Some good signings to help you in the second half of the season. Mandragora in particular. I looked at him for Inter on my save.

Some good signings there, certainly improving the squad. A lot more competition for places which will hopefully spur improved performances. Really like the Targett signing as I had him on a Villa save, was very good for me so hopefully he will do the same for you!

---

---

---

---

---

---

---

---

---

---

---

Sunday 10th January 2021 marked my arrival at the King Power Stadium and three days later I was required to lead my new club to Anfield. A 1-1 draw marked my debut, as we recorded a crucial point at one of England's most feared grounds. Hamza Choudhury was the unlikely goalscorer on the night, with Jordan Henderson pegging us back with an unequally as unlikely equaliser.

The next two (league) games were the most vital games of the month, however. With Spurs awaiting at the end of the month, a home tie with AFC Bournemouth and an away trip to Selhurst Park presented us with the prime opportunity to end our winless drought. We hadn't won a single Premier League game since a 2-1 against Burnley back in October and once you're in the habit of failing to win, it's a difficult pattern to get out of. A win was desperately needed.

Unfortunately, we were unable to achieve that against Bournemouth. We trailed at half-time thanks to a goal from Joan Jordan, but James Maddison's late-strike sealed yet another point and ensured I remained unbeaten in my new job.

Sandwiched in-between our next game against Palace and the previous game against the Cherries was our Emirates FA Cup Fourth Round tie against Wigan Athletic - who ply their trade in the Sky Bet Championship. Steve Bruce had recently returned to the dug-out at the DW Stadium and his side were tough to break down. Choudhury, once again, scored an important goal in-order to send us through in normal-time, booking a place against Norwich City in the next round - who beat Chelsea 3-2 in extra-time to progress.

Fresh off the back of cup success, it was the ideal time to travel to Crystal Palace. The Eagles were struggling and found themselves trapped in the relegation-zone. However, the problems which plagued previous manager Brendan Rodgers continued here; as we were unable to find a way past a bang-average, at best, Palace side. It was at this moment in particular, I realised we were in desperate need of another striker to present us with a different avenue to go down. We couldn't afford to rely on goals from midfield, it simply wasn't going to be enough.

Despite having yet to bring in a new forward, with Vincent Aboubakar arriving two days after our home game against Tottenham, we found ourselves two-nil up against Jürgen Klopp's side. Hamza Choudhury - bagging his third goal in my brief tenure - and Dennis Man both found the net before the half-hour mark, which left us in a fantastic position at the half-time whistle, as Spurs were unable to find a breakthrough.

Disappointingly, we allowed Fernandinho to tap home a simple goal to allow the visitors back into the game with half an hour to go. With our backs very much against the wall, we were desperately holding on against a resolute Spurs attack - which boasted of some of Europe's finest attacking quality. Harry Kane eventually blasted the ball past Kasper Schmeichel which brought an end to our hopes of recording a first victory in fifteen games. We managed to hold on for a pleasing point, which I would have certainly taken at the start of the game, admittedly, but to surrender the game as we did left a bitter taste in my mouth.

There were plenty of positives to take from our performances. It was easy to overlook that at the end of the game, but it left me acknowledging there was certainly potential to really improve come the end of the season. We addressed our main issue of lacking a goal-scorer in bringing in Vincent Aboubakar on Deadline Day and I'm hopeful his signature will really improve that aspect to our game. Nevertheless, an unbeaten start to my first month in-charge is something to take away, at least.


At the end of January, it was Zinedane Zidane's Arsenal who led the way at the top of the Premier League. The Gunners sat four points ahead of Manchester City, who had a game in-hand against Cardiff City at the start of February. Liverpool were just a point further behind and were in-possession of an eight point advantage over fourth-placed Spurs, although they did have a game in-hand, also.

Manchester United found themselves in fifth and were closely chasing Spurs, as they sought to reclaim Champions League football once again after finishing third last season under the management of Antonio Conte. The top six was completed by Chelsea, who had enjoyed a mixed start under Luis Enrique. The Blues were dumped out of the FA Cup to Championship opposition in Norwich City and also lost to Newcastle United and Manchester United in the league, with both of those losses coming away from home.

At the foot of the table, West Bromwich Albion's fortunes were steadily improving under the stewardship of Claudio Ranieri. The Baggies recorded just one loss from five games, coming in a 2-0 loss to Chelsea and held Spurs to a 0-0 draw at the Hawthorns, as they reduced the deficit between themselves and seventeenth to four - although had played a game more than any of their counterparts in the bottom five.

They were accompanied by Watford and Crystal Palace in the bottom three, with the Hornets trailing Newcastle United by a solitary point. Both clubs appointed new managers in December - with Watford now coached by Pavel Vrba, who left his job with Viktoria Plzen after four years to take the job at Vicarage Road. Palace, meanwhile, opted to reappoint former manager Alan Pardew in a bid to preserve their eight-year stay in the top-flight. Pardew left his job at Wigan Athletic, with the Latics sat 21st in the Championship.

An international break was to take-place at the start of February, resulting in the Premier League resuming on Saturday 13th. We return with a trip to Stamford Bridge to take on Chelsea, before turning our attentions to an away trip in the Emirates FA Cup against Norwich City three days later. Homes games against Wolverhampton Wanderers and Burnley - the side we last recorded a victory against in the league - are separated by a trip to Elland Road to take on Lee Johnson's Leeds.

Replies

Justice: I'm really pleased with Mandragora, especially. He seems to have all the right traits in the right areas. Also, drop the Chilwell agenda x

Jack: Aboubakar is a vast improvement on what Iheanacho brought to the table with his lack of goals. Hopefully he'll really push on and fill the void that Seferovic doesn't provide. Vardy needs assistance.

Jim: If we go by the price paid, it would suggest that Trincao is indeed the best signing. I think he's certainly one of the most promising players in the squad!

SoA: I was pleasantly surprised by his ability, especially with him playing in Serie B (albeit only for half a season).

LFC: Targett is quite an underrated signing. It's one you could easily overlook, but his role in the squad will be important. He's still got time to improve and possesses the quality of a competent rotation/back-up option.