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That's about what we paid isn't it?

He could end up being one of these Szmodics, Hamer, Buendia types who looks amazing at Championship level but never converts it at the top level. His next move will be the biggest of his career. Another season with a struggling team and he'll end up in Ligue 1 or the Erividise.

This might cover it..... @AlexanderBrkr on 10:46 2025-05-26 UTC Mythbusting: Bilal El Khannouss I've been a big fan of Leicester's #11 this season. Whenever I've caught them on TV, like when they played Man City at home, I've thought: "WOW, this guy is great!" But, is it possible that those highlights don't tell the full story? Well... Post by Alex @AlexanderBrkr on 10:46 2025-05-26 UTC History + Profile El Khannouss is a 21-year-old midfielder who joined Leicester last summer from Genk, where he wracked up two seasons of regular senior football. I've watched a couple games of him at Genk in his last season, as well as looking at the data. I believe he was playing further forward than he has at Leicester. He played as a #10 in both a 4-2-3-1 and a 3-4-3 (mainly the former), operating on both sides of the pitch. There, he contributed to 14 goals over two seasons, with 9 G/A coming last season. It's a modest return, but it's clear why Leicester pulled the trigger on him. The underlying numbers were ace - and it's worth talking about them, because Leicester's horrendous 24-25 season render a lot of El Khannouss' current output unreliable At Genk, in the 2023-24 season, El Khannouss made 6 assists from an expected assisted-goal (xAG) return of 8.2. 8.2 is a very, very high number. Don't forget, he didn't turn 20 until last May. That output from a teenager is insanely impressive, even if it is a weaker league Something else that shone at Genk was his dribbling, as El Khannouss completed 34/62 attempted last season, a 54.8% success rate. Again, that may sound low, but that's a very strong return for a teenager, especially given the number he was attempting (2.6 p90). Jeremy Doku, the ultimate dribbler? 55.1% this season, for context. So, Leicester sign El Khannouss, and proceed to use him, on paper, in a similar way: a #10 in a 4-2-3-1 system. However, in practice, he's really played in a deeper role. More akin to a #8. You can see that on his heatmap of passes from @mygameplanai (read it from top to bottom). In general, El Khannouss' responsibilities include: Dropping in with his back to goal to receive the ball, play a wall pass (pass back to the defender playing it) Try and turn into space Drop further, get on the ball facing play, and spray passes Get forward into pockets of space to receive and turn Pull to the touchline, take players on Play passes in behind to forwards Play crosses into the box Attempt long-range shots Press very aggressively from the front Close players down in wide areas Track back to help out FBs Now of course, there's a caveat: Leicester suck. They've been basically relegated for about 3 months. So, in the interest of fairness, I didn't really watch much of El Khannouss in games from late-February onwards. I don't think it's fair to judge someone in this environment. That said, I did think his application out of possession was still pretty strong, and he was still trying to make things happen. Post by Alex @AlexanderBrkr on 10:46 2025-05-26 UTC Positives There's definitely one area where I think El Khannouss is already elite in: dribbling/ball control. He's someone who, even running at high speeds, keeps the ball close to his feet and never lets it get too far away from him. At slower speeds, he's making plenty of ball touches, with both feet. Basically, he's a nightmare to tackle. As we mentioned in the numbers before, he held an impressive 54.8% dribble success rate in the Belgian Pro League last season. Well, this season, that's actually gone UP, to nearly 57% El Khannouss is confident too, and will often drive through gaps at a defence and cause tons of problems. That classic cliche, 'the ball is tied to his feet', really applies here. What makes him even nicer in tight spaces is his agility. I'm still working on how to describe players like El Khannouss; where I'm at right now, is that he's able to 'fold' his body. Folding his body: Changing direction smoothly and quickly. He's great at turning a marker, or letting the ball run across him and dummying to take a touch the opposite way. Also, Cruyff turns. El Khannouss has never actually played as a winger, likely because he hasn't got the pace for it. Don't get me wrong, he has a pretty nice burst of acceleration, and I have seen him outpace defenders, but I don't think he's rapid in the way a Jeremy Doku is. Still, El Khannouss is a terrific 1v1 threat, and I actually feel like he could do a job out wide if need be That's not where he belongs for me though... Despite playing as a #10 on paper, I think his future is as an #8, and that's down to two things: Physicality Intelligent positioning El Khannouss stands at 5ft 11. Is he a powerhouse? No. Can he win headers? Sure, around 49% of the time, and he still often struggles to aim them. However, can he ride challenges when carrying the ball, and battle players off it himself? Yes! This is down to El Khannouss possessing good balance and pretty good upper body strength. I think he's quite a hard player to unsettle, and that means he looks pretty comfortable in duels. He can be shoved over by your Romeo Lavias, but he's definitely still durable enough to play as an #8 in a 4-3-3 for example - for me at least. It could be smart to play him there too, because El Khannouss has the intelligence to help ball-dominant sides progress the ball through the lines. This was shown at Genk, where he recognised pockets of space he could drop into, manoeuvre into a passing channel, and receive the ball. That's the same at Leicester too at times, but as we said, he drops in a lottt more to face the opposition and move the ball forward himself. El Khannouss is good at recognising passing options BTL, and when he knows his options, he can make first-time passes on both feet. Oh, and there's one more important aspect of playing in midfield for an elite side that El Khannouss showcases: work rate and intelligence when pressing. Kinda I think Leicester fans might take issue with his work rate in 2025, as I think El Khannouss has developed a habit of giving up on the press as he arrives. He'll slow down too early, ripping away the intensity he was building up when sprinting. Still, here are some positives I've noted from going back to before Leicester were doomed: El Khannouss is consistent at keeping opponents in his cover shadow. He curves his runs, adapts them, to make sure a #6 is blocked when he's pressing a CB He shows great work rate tracking back, pressing players from behind. He's won high regains by doing this He'll dive in to attempt a block, which could probably be viewed as a negative, but still I think it showcases a good work ethic to win the ball high up the pitch. Post by Alex @AlexanderBrkr on 10:46 2025-05-26 UTC Negatives We've just covered some excellent qualities, that a lot of managers would be very happy with in a 21-year-old. A great dribbler Can compete physically Should work hard without the ball Quick and agile What a dream! So, what are the issues? Why did I frame my headline tweet so negatively? Let's start with his passing, something that gets chalked up as his biggest strength. I, personally, can't remember seeing such a chasm between the floor and ceiling of someone's ability. Mentally, El Khannouss is great at spotting risky passing options, players running in behind, those btl. However, in executing those passes, you never know what you're going to get. There are moments where El Khannouss will weight a pass perfectly into a midfielder across the pitch. He'll fire it low, make sure it arrives at their feet, which allows Leicester to keep attacking at a fast pace. I think his long balls in particular can be top, switching it to the path of a winger and making sure they don't have to stop to receive the ball. Also, he has a sensational ability to play flicks and backheels, while disguising them to opponents. This, again, comes down to his ball control which I think can be described as elite. Another point in the great-in-tight-spaces camp But, my word, sometimes you get dreadful passes from El Khannouss. His success rate stands at 75.2% at Leicester and that's higher than it was at Genk. Sure, pass accuracy isn't really that telling, especially for an attacker. Try risky passes, a lot won't come off. However, El Khannouss sometimes just, gives the ball away. Those switches we spoke about before? Sometimes, it feels like he is passing it to where the player was three seconds beforehand. Passes in behind? He has a habit of trying to trivela it - straight into a defender's chest. Even simple passes across midfield can be really sloppy in terms of accuracy. Oh, and his crosses? I think these are just consistently bad I genuinely think 1/10 of his crosses even come close to finding a receiver. It's down to a combination of not getting his head up at times...but also just inconsistent weight. Sometimes he whacks it way too hard, other times, he's once again guilty of hitting the defender in front of him's chest. Of course, El Khannouss is 21. Perhaps this is all fine. His technique can improve in the coming years, and by then, we'll have a brilliant player who is hitting the ceiling more often than smacking the floor One area that might not improve so naturally, and requires more specific focus, is El Khannouss' scanning. The Morrocan's shooting is often cited as his biggest weakness, and we will talk about it. However, I'd wager a case that his scanning is holding him back even more. El Khannouss does scan. The problem is that he rarely does so within 3-5s of receiving a pass. This means he can often get into a sequence runs like: Wout Faes on the ball at the back El Khannouss is positioned high on the left side of midfield He checks his shoulder, sees CB is a bit behind him He drops, looking to provide a passing option The CB or a midfielder has started to pick him up, but he doesn't realise Faes plays the pass El Khannouss doesn't scan Then, either: He thinks he has time to turn/take a touch, but loses the ball Or, more frequently, he knows that he lacks awareness, so takes a big heavy touch back towards Faes, as he's too afraid to turn into potential pressure. The reason I say this is holding him back more than anything else, is because it limits El Khannouss' best qualities. This is someone who can execute passes on both feet, first time. He's also super agile and controlled on the ball - if there's space to exploit, where he could turn his marker, he can do so. However, El Khannouss doesn't recognise the opportunities to do the latter often enough, because he lacks awareness of space behind him. His subsequent heavy touch to cater for this, means he's slower to turn and make a pass. The result is that, right now, El Khannouss often slows games down to a crawl. Okay, I hinted at it before, but let's quickly cover his shooting. Guess what? Someone who has taken 120 shots in his career on record (FBref) and: Only hit 28 on target And converted just 6 of those into goals ...isn't the best in front of goal! So, let's go a bit further in this analysis, and try and find the reason why El Khannouss is so poor. The first clue is that he takes the majority of his shots from outside the box. These shots are of course, going to be harder to score. However, when you watch the footage, you notice two things: Some of these long-range shots feel oddly weak As @CurranBoP pointed out in a quite fun chat we had about El Khannouss, he often loses his balance after shooting. Why? Well, for the first point, I think El Khannouss simply reverts to using the inside of his right foot too often. He wants to place shots from range, rather than power them. What's more interesting though, is why he loses balance. And, why so many of his shots go off target. My personal explanation? His foot placement Basically, El Khannouss oversteps with his standing foot. So, his left foot (while shooting with his right). Think, or even act this out: If you're trying to shoot towards goal, you don't want your standing foot getting in the way of your kicking foot. That could limit your angles, and also force you into kicking in an awkward fashion to maintain power/accuracy. El Khannouss might try and shoot across goal, for example, with his right foot - but because his standing foot is so far ahead, he has to overcompensate with his right foot to power/shape the shot. There's a great shot against Man Utd, where you can see his right leg goes straight towards the ball - and then afterwards, it ends up going to the side across his body. I think this is done to try and guide it to the far corner, but it ends up just going a mile wide. Once again, usual caveats apply: I don't coach, I haven't done a course on biomechanics, I'm just an analyst. But this is an area where I am growing in confidence, and therefore, I feel confident in saying El Khannouss' overstep is a big reason why his shots are often so poor. Post by Alex @AlexanderBrkr on 10:46 2025-05-26 UTC Verdict My take on El Khannouss is pretty simple: this is a top talent that's worth buying... as long as you don't plan to use him as a regular starter in the near future. He's got some huge gifts, but ultimately, I think he can be a net-negative at times. Imagine he was making dodgy passes under the spot light at Arsenal for example? Or became a meme for his poor shooting? You risk killing his confidence at an early age. However, if use him as a rotation option or even loan him back to Leicester, and you're likely in a much better position

I remember that being part of a Frankie Boyle sketch. "A man tried to bring religious war...... to Glasgow.... we're 800 years ahead of you pal!"

Yet somehow they're still laying off staff and that c0ck Radcliffe said just a few weeks ago they were in danger of going under. Only way they finance those moves will be selling Rashford and Garnacho for big £££

Another paint-by-numbers appointment. No long term strategy, no thinking outside the box, just another name that failed somewhere else. If he plays the youth and we're sitting in the top 6 people will get behind him but we've seen his football. We've seen the flaws. There will be plenty of self-inflicted wounds next season.

They wanted to " do a Leicester" and by bombing out of the Champions League after being in the places all season they did just that. Almost as funny as that season where they managed to get turned over in the play offs with a 4 goal swing a few years ago.

They'll be out by the time the kids are back at school.

If it's a choice between him and Kristiansen.......we're screwed

We all feel frustration at dialogues, comms, the FAB, the whole running of the club. You won't find anyone who's been more critical of the FT than me in that regard But not engaging with a survey that's going to be presented to the club doesn't make any of that better. Again, if nothing changes then nothing changes.

The most telling interview was on MOTD2 a couple of weeks back where he said "maybe a club that's used to success and used to playing that style of football even though they may not be at the moment" I wish him the best but fear the worst.

WAS They broke the strategy pushing for Top 4. The gamble led to three seasons of record losses, players given away on frees and our current PSR hangover. It's a cycle we can never now break without selling our academy players. It killed 10 years of building. Note none of the clubs I mentioned giving up on their strategies. None are broke and all have been challenging for Euro places.

Yes it is. But it hasn't affected Bournemouth, Brentford, Fulham, Brighton or Palace like it has us. The reason is that their owners and DoFs are competent professionals with strategy and business plans. They don't piss their tested business models up the wall trying to be a better owner than Daddy.

Completed and shared. And my closing statement btw "The club I grew up supporting has gone, the disconnection is real and painful. The sad fact is that King Power is largely responsible for that."

Yeah, we'll beat that out of him over the next 12 months. He's not staying in this side with that mindset.

Useless feckers couldn't even print enough programmes. Expect to see them on Ebay in a bit for £50

Exactly this. It's been an horrific season and this is the day our greatest player finishes his career with us with a chance to make his career numbers look just that bit more satisfying. Am I happy with Rudkin, the board or King Power in general? No. Have I just received a knock off Vardy 9 shirt in the post from a not-totally-genuine outlet? Hell yes. We've had all season singing Rudkin Out and worse, there's been banners, vans, planes, graffiti, stickers and press coverage. He knows he's hated and hopefully there's more than Vardys departure being announced. But let's just have a day to say goodbye and good luck to the GOAT. If it's cheesy, fine. But for me this is the last day of our modern golden era. Let it be cheesy.

Goals on Sunday wasn't it?

You over-estimate his knowledge. Aiyawatt has never heard of Martin, I'll guarantee it. He'd never heard of Cooper either and replaced him with RvN on name alone.

All that second half lacked was a Vardy winner. Depression in the stands. Owner on the pitch. Chris Sutton getting less and less chatty as the half went on.

You could put prime Alan Shearer up there and he's barely getting a touch. Vardy having to come deep just see the ball.

Chris Sutton Impartial as ever

Something about crying at Wembley and the usual Morgan is a blue in response to the Cooper baiting

A proper side has us 2 down already

Is Cain definitely going? Seems to have finally got her form back in the last few games and we've already stood by her through a couple of nasty injuries. We need to be building round what we've got, not starting again, it'd be like re-establishing yourself in the league with a fresh line up.