Conor Coady was acquired to address a persistent issue identified by the Leicester City leadership.
The centre-back was introduced to the team after the decision-makers identified a lack of leadership as a major concern over a number of years. He could make his debut versus Southampton.
Conor Coady is the solution to a long-standing problem at Leicester City, Enzo Maresca has said ahead of the centre-back’s potential debut on Friday night.
Summer signing Coady has made a quicker-than-expected recovery from a foot fracture and is on course to be included in the squad for the clash with Southampton, even if he is not yet 100 per cent fit.
An England international defender, Coady is not short on ability, but it is his qualities as a person that were the biggest factor in his £7.5m transfer from Wolves.
Maresca has said ahead of the trip to St Mary’s that the decision-makers at City had concluded that a lack of leadership within the squad over a number of years was a problem that needed rectifying if the club were to return to the Premier League.
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“I’ve said since day one with Conor, he was one of the targets for the club,” Maresca said at his press conference on Thursday. “When I joined, the club said to me that one of the problems over the past two or three years was a lack of leaders. I was not here so I cannot judge, one of the main targets was to improve that area, and Conor is one of the guys.
“We played some friendly games here behind closed doors and he was probably the only voice you could hear on the pitch. This is something you have inside you. It doesn’t matter if you are at Wolves, at Everton, or at Leicester, you always have this. He guides the rest. It’s fantastic.”
While Coady has not yet played a competitive game for the club, he has been at every single match home and away, supporting his team-mates from the sidelines. If he comes into the side, he will be at the heart of the defence, replacing Jannik Vestergaard.
“He has the right experience to help us in our targets,” Maresca continued. Even during his time at Everton the previous year, he was a key player. He has now returned after working with us for four or five days.
“Even after becoming hurt, he remained connected to us and always traveled to road games and home games. He and the group have a strong relationship. You can tell that he’s not just a talented athlete; he also enjoys playing, even when he’s hurt. He enjoys being there. It’s incredible for the club and the management.
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