A rather frustrating transfer window may yet have a happy ending for Leicester City.
After waiting until mid-August for the first signing of the summer, the three arrived in just two weeks.
Facundo Buonanotte, the silky Argentinian loanee from Brighton and Hove Albion, shone on his debut in the 1-1 draw against Tottenham Hotspur; more nutmegs than Gordon Ramsey’s spice cabinet.
Speaking of Spurs, Oliver Skipp then swapped north London for the King Power Stadium, giving Steve Cooper a proven Premier League operator in the middle of the park and a man to replace the loss of Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall.
Former Crystal Palace man Jordan Ayew will sign number three. And while professional Ayew won’t have his hair standing on end, his stunning long-range strike against Tranmere Rovers in the Carabao Cup was a very good introduction to his new followers.
However, transfer number four may be the most exciting of the series.
Leicester City are close to signing Genk ace Bilal El Khannouss
Bilal El Khannouss, HITC understands, has agreed terms with the major newcomers.
The KRC Genka ace has informed the Belgian outfit that he wants to secure a move to Englan,d before Friday’s deadline, although Leicester will have to shell out at least £17m.
El Khannouss didn’t exactly endear himself to Genk supporters with the way he tried to seal his departure. Journalist Sacha Tavolieri highlighted the “tension” behind the scenes when the Moroccan international reportedly left training.
But Genk coach Thorsten Fink will hold no lasting grudges, even if he is disappointed to have lost arguably the most talented midfielder in Belgian football.
“With a bit more experience, I might have approached it a bit differently in the last few days,” Fink told Het Laaste Nieuws, El Khannouss is not expected to be available for Friday’s Jupiler League match with KV Westerlo as he prepares to travel to England.
“Bilal was set on leaving. It’s good we didn’t play this weekend (Genk’s game against Anderlecht was postponed) because you know he wasn’t thinking about it. You need players who are fully focused on their club and not on transition .”
Similar to Real Madrid playmaker Luka Modrić
Fink also urges fans to be lenient with El Khannouss, even though he will leave under some clouds.
“He is a 20-year-old boy. That makes him a different story than someone who is 28 years old. So let’s not be too hard on him,” added the former Basle coach.
“Look, I understand how these things work. If Bilal had a bit more experience, he would probably have waited and let (director) Dimitri de Conde and the board do their job. They are professional people.
“In principle, it went in the same direction as now. He was a good player and represented great value. The club has to make money. The club is not stupid and is aware of it. Sometimes you have to keep calm and let people do their job.
“It was always the plan that El Khannouss would leave this summer.”
El Khannous has been compared to Real Madrid and Croatian superstar Luka Modric due to his good footwork and defensive passing.
Fink confirms that while Leicester City are set to win the race, the Foxes have made it a little easier due to the lack of bids from suitors RB Leipzig and Bayer Leverkusen.
“Is Leicester the right move? I’m not his agent and I don’t know,” says the Bayern Munich hero. – It’s not for me to say anything about it. If it feels good to him, that’s fine. This is his career and his choice.
“Maybe he wanted to go to Germany, but Leverkusen and Leipzig didn’t come.”