Wilfred Ndidi

[Viva]

3 minutes ago, ARM1968 said:

No. Some people were ready to accept pretty much anything to be rid of him. Go back and look. Mind you it depends what you consider a large fee. And yes, they were myopic. 
 

Looking like we might head straight back up may bring new contracts. May not. The £10/£15 million we might possibly have got would never have got us a player anywhere near what we have now. 

Hindsight is a wonderful thing. There is no way anyone on this forum predicted he would become a very good attacking midfielder this season, contributing goals and assists. From the evidence we had over the last couple of seasons, he looked finished as a solid defensive midfielder. So yes, I would have taken £15m over the summer especially if he wanted to leave. I'm obviously glad the right offers didn't come in for him and he stayed. 

[RumbleFox]

5 hours ago, StriderHiryu said:

OK this is pretty interesting, FBRef have started to update Wilf's stats based on his Championship performances. Here are his stats compared to KDG:

 

 

 

 

 

 

What we are seeing is a complete transformation in Wilf's player profile, and perhaps more incredibly, how good he has been at adapting. His ball progression is the most impressive thing, that's a complete shift in what he's been asked to do, and he is among the very best already in the Championship.

 

It wouldn't surprise me if after another 10-15 games if more of the attacking stats improve, because now he's becoming effective in the final third too.

 

I mean, we probably all knew it anyway but this really shows what a midfield we have for the Championship. Wilf, KDH and Winks must be one of the best midfield 3s this division has ever seen? 

Edited 1 October 2023 by RumbleFox

[CheeseHead]

3 hours ago, MrsJohnMurphy said:

Hang on.....is he not 43 any more?

Don't be ridiculous. He's only 38

[UniFox21]

He's becoming exactly what I thought Soumare would be for us. 

[Jobyfox]

13 hours ago, Viva said:

Hindsight is a wonderful thing. There is no way anyone on this forum predicted he would become a very good attacking midfielder this season, contributing goals and assists. From the evidence we had over the last couple of seasons, he looked finished as a solid defensive midfielder. So yes, I would have taken £15m over the summer especially if he wanted to leave. I'm obviously glad the right offers didn't come in for him and he stayed. 

Yes. There are a lot of people on this forum who deride previous opinions with the benefit of hindsight. £15m would have been a great offer for WD considering his form for last season. Admittedly he’d shown good potential before that, although that was almost exclusively as a CDM. 
 

It’s a bit like Vestergaard. On previous evidence he’s a player that we’d all have shifted out. If people had an opinion that he’s a keeper based on his output in previous seasons I’d probably question what they were smoking. We’re all experts in hindsight

[sacreblueits442]

On 30/09/2023 at 22:18, STUHILL said:

Only positive and little hope left with Nacho, is that when you finally think you have had enough of him, he catches a little bit of form and scores some important goals and becomes an assist machine. Rare, but does happen! But, as I said, this needs to happen over the next few games or I see Vardy/Daka/Cannon moving ahead of him in Enzo's thinking.

...that will be when he comes to terms with the fact that he has nothing to lose and takes the fear and panic out of his game!!!

[Lambert09]

I like to think im a patient fan and will give players the benefit of the doubt but I also feel that generally speaking, im usually quite accurate with my assessments. I can look past results and individual errors but what we saw from wilf was different, it didnt feel like it was just form, or just fitness, it felt like he just wasnt physically capable of what he did before. 

 

Ive never been more wrong about a player.  I honestly just couldnt in any capacity see that he could improve, I genuinely thought physically he was finished.   Which clearly he's not. But whats more surprising is how well he's adapting his game.  I just dont understand how he's the same player.... well thats an odd statement because usually thats when someone changes form, but this is a completely new wilf and its nothing weve seen from him before.  

 

It couldnt happen to a nicer guy and im very happy to have been proven wrong.   

 

 

[Tom12345]

On 02/10/2023 at 04:35, Viva said:

Hindsight is a wonderful thing. There is no way anyone on this forum predicted he would become a very good attacking midfielder this season, contributing goals and assists. From the evidence we had over the last couple of seasons, he looked finished as a solid defensive midfielder. So yes, I would have taken £15m over the summer especially if he wanted to leave. I'm obviously glad the right offers didn't come in for him and he stayed. 

Look. Same here. I would have definitely taken the money as he has been atrocious for us last two seasons and the blind loyalty Rodgers shown added to many’s frustration in his inclusion and performances. Let’s face it, he is still not even at Championship level in terms of ball control - balls still bounce off his feet and his attempted step over against Blackburn was pretty hilarious. He could never go back to be a pivot in midfield or even a defensive defender in the modern game where teams generally employ the high press. He just does not have the ball skills to get himself out of trouble and as a result as we saw in the last few seasons he was basically trying to avoid the ball altogether - he was a total handicap. Imagine playing that Ndidi in the Winks or new Hamza role where you need to demand the ball - not going to happen.

 

But his strengths are still in pressing and intercepting, which Enzo ingeniously used in an area where a mistake does not matter as much while he can in turn cause problems in the opposition third (and this also underlines why Rodgers was so poor at adapting). He always had the vision though so his passing intent has always been there but his actual execution was poor especially when under pressure in our own  half. He is still suspect in that regard, but if he pulls one off out of every three creating a chance for Vardy like that then no one will notice his other 2 misplaced passes.

Edited 3 October 2023 by Tom12345

[Sunbury Fox]

2 hours ago, Tom12345 said:

Look. Same here. I would have definitely taken the money as he has been atrocious for us last two seasons and the blind loyalty Rodgers shown added to many’s frustration in his inclusion and performances. Let’s face it, he is still not even at Championship level in terms of ball control - balls still bounce off his feet and his attempted step over against Blackburn was pretty hilarious. He could never go back to be a pivot in midfield or even a defensive defender in the modern game where teams generally employ the high press. He just does not have the ball skills to get himself out of trouble and as a result as we saw in the last few seasons he was basically trying to avoid the ball altogether - he was a total handicap. Imagine playing that Ndidi in the Winks or new Hamza role where you need to demand the ball - not going to happen.

 

But his strengths are still in pressing and intercepting, which Enzo ingeniously used in an area where a mistake does not matter as much while he can in turn cause problems in the opposition third (and this also underlines why Rodgers was so poor at adapting). He always had the vision though so his passing intent has always been there but his actual execution was poor especially when under pressure in our own  half. He is still suspect in that regard, but if he pulls one off out of every three creating a chance for Vardy like that then no one will notice his other 2 misplaced passes.

It's still damning him with faint praise but this is the closest you've come to posting anything remotely positive about Wilf in his 6 years with us. 

[Tom12345]

52 minutes ago, Sunbury Fox said:

It's still damning him with faint praise but this is the closest you've come to posting anything remotely positive about Wilf in his 6 years with us. 

Haha. Thanks for noticing.  It is never anything personal for me.  But the scar from the train wreck that I saw coming for the last few years (started from our first choke and definitely the second choke in getting CL qualification), which ended up with relegation with the squad we had, was deep and it takes a while to recover. Unfortunately, Ndidi was a big part of that given the role he played just in front of the back 4 and his repeated inclusion (and this was the biggest frustration) in the first team squad even though we could barely get out of our own half and we had an alternative in Mendy.

 

But I am enjoying watching us again and with Enzo Ndidi has indeed improved so credit to him for that.

 

PS. By the way, there was a time when I was quite positive about Wilf - before his injury a few seasons ago - he was passing better and doing more all rounded stuff in that CDM role. Then he regressed and then the tactics never changed while other teams caught on to how to play us (high press rather than sitting back in case we counter).

Edited 3 October 2023 by Tom12345

[fuchsntf]

On 01/10/2023 at 22:35, Viva said:

Hindsight is a wonderful thing. There is no way anyone on this forum predicted he would become a very good attacking midfielder this season, contributing goals and assists. From the evidence we had over the last couple of seasons, he looked finished as a solid defensive midfielder. So yes, I would have taken £15m over the summer especially if he wanted to leave. I'm obviously glad the right offers didn't come in for him and he stayed. 

I reckon you have to weigh up other peoples perspectives and how they judge players potential…

The word predict,maybe just maybe right…

But has a young high performance sportsman,as with I am sure others,one experiences highs ,lows,and rekindling of individuals sporting opportunities.Even those in their  same sport take on totally different angles one didn’t think that person or self was capable of…

Take decent 100 metre runners,but not medal contenders,then they go to 200 or 400 metres and become household names.,

or hit top hights for the level they compete…

strikers,become good CBs,or even GKs.

Rugby players,who spent yrs in front 5,suddenly become ,understand and play the faster quick thinking positions of back 3.

or Rugby and other sports in general,where todays participants can play at club or international level in several individual technical needs positions…..The rekindling or re awakening of individuals sporting careers,is now more a common event.

Even changing disciplines completely,just because man(woman) can..

one major change today is seeing doors are not closed,in trying to coax more out of sportsman, including flexability of using participants has top utility players..

 

I mentioned in phases over the last 2-3 seasons,that players like Ndidi,Mendy are or shouldn’t be stuck in a box of DMs,or FBs

like Ricardo,Justin ,Thomas,Castagna could move to WBs, in fact through various international teams,this has been the case.

Though some on here,denied they were up to it..& scoffed at such things had already been done and committed to…

but some insistent ´NOT Leicester playerś…Suddenly an Italian comes from a doubtful nowhere and implements the very thing.

We had a Ranieri stickler for old Italian tradition,while others including our own new Italian & some Germans are implementing

impossoble tactics….A few yrs ago we had a guy called Gillies that made a slight tweak with Cross & Mcklintock…

I learned as a young wanna-be, nothing must be as it is,we are capable of flexability..

[Swarles Barkley]

This guys turnaround has been nothing short of incredible. Couldn’t complete a 5 yard pass last year yet turns into prime de bruyne this season

[Simonb]

Ndidinho

[Tielemans63]

As I said in the match thread, what a job Enzo has done with Wilf in no time at all.

 

I don't like talking about our ex-manager, but it just goes to show what a disastrous job he did when destroying the confidence of certain players.

Edited 4 October 2023 by Tielemans63

[Silebyfox_89]

Our best player tonight.

[foxfanazer]

The transformation is honestly ridiculous 

[Tazfox]

I refuse to believe this is the same Ndidi we watched last season. Are we sure we've not secretly dug up another forgotten monarch and performed some sort of possession ritual on the man so that he can turn into prime Maradona

[filbertway]

The most impressive thing is that Enzo has got Ndidi fit again. Last season it looked to everyone like he was absolutely done physically.

 

He still screws up passes and misses incredibly obvious balls. What him and KDH offer in terms of ability to get up and down the pitch and desire to consistently get into advanced positions means that by sheer weight of probability that they'll both end up creating and getting on the end of chances.

 

The work that the two of them get through is absolutely key to the way we play.

 

Nice to see him playing with a smile on his face and being a nuisance to the opposition again.

[RowlattsFox]

There is still a bit of me who thinks everything he does creatively is more luck than judgement  I can't help it. 

 

But he is a Crucial part of this team at the moment. 

[Mark 'expert' Lawrenson]

Wilf is such an unassuming guy, so happy he has got his form back, well done Wilf. 

[foxfanazer]

How long does he have left on his contract?

[Dandy king]

Clearly sold his soul at the crossroads in the summer, it's the only explanation for his transformation into attacking genius

[StanSP]

52 minutes ago, foxfanazer said:

How long does he have left on his contract?

About 8 months... 

[Bryn]

I think he signs a new deal.

[Guest Mee-9]

Can't believe he's gone from looking like he did last season to looking like a Nigerian Zidane. 

 

Unbelievable transformation and just shows you how he's been held back so much.