Leicester City’s deadline day ended without any new signings after a deal for Nathaniel Chalobah falling through. City had hoped to bring in the England international from the Hornets, and then loan Hamza Choudhury to Newcastle, but not all of the pieces were in place for the deals to go ahead, with Chalobah’s selection for Watford against QPR on Monday night signalling the end of the pursuit. To sanction Chalobah’s exit, Watford needed to bring in a new midfielder, but their hopes of signing one of the Longstaff brothers from Newcastle, Matty or Sean, did not materialise, and so the other moves in the triangular deal – Chalobah to City, and Choudhury to Newcastle – were also been called off. Coming into January, City did not have any desires for a new signing, but Praet’s injury saw them turn their attention to a forward-thinking midfield option. Still, Rodgers has said there will be a role for him to play at the club.
Brendan Rodgers said: “Hamza’s a boy that we’re not rushing out of the door. He’s an important member of our squad here. If there was a possibility to get him game-time and out playing, then that’s what we’ll look at. That’s not to say that if he stays here he’s not going to play. He will play an important role for us in the second part of the season. If he was to go out, we would have to replace him, and at this time, it’s not so easy. If we don’t get anybody in – I think every manager would like to be able to add to the group – it won’t be for the want of trying. If we don’t, then I’ll take on happily with the players we have. If we’re all fit, we have a really talented squad of players that have shown they can compete consistently. I’m also respectful that the market is totally different. This isn’t like every other January or every other summer, it’s a very tough market for teams, especially financially. I respect that. We want to improve, we want to develop, and we’ll always look to do that, but if we don’t get anybody in, we’ll go with the squad we have and I’ll be happy seeing the further development of the players we have here.”
