Soumare

[FoxesWalk]

Bouba is our best CM and Faes is our best CB and they’re both staying. Staying in large part because of their wages I expect. 
 

Hard to accept, but true. Your general demeanour (like lazy body language) and perception you give fans in small moments (eg. petulance, sulking) really has a massive affect on people’s opinions of players, far too much affect imo. 
 

In the case of Bouba he only really has Winks near his ability in our limited array of midfielders, looking pretty light in the middle, particularly any player with a real engine and a bit of bite in CM or CDM. 

Edited 26 August 2025 by FoxesWalk

[TJB-fox]

11 minutes ago, FoxesWalk said:

Bouba is our best CM and Faes is our best CB and they’re both staying. Staying in large part because of their wages I expect. 
 

Hard to accept, but true. Your general demeanour (like lazy body language) and perception you give fans in small moments (eg. petulance, sulking) really has a massive affect on people’s opinions of players, far too much affect imo. 
 

In the case of Bouba he only really has Winks near his ability in our limited array of midfielders, looking pretty light in the middle, particularly any player with a real engine and a bit of bite in CM or CDM. 

Wrong. They might be our most talented but they’re not our best. 

Best would include talent, loyalty to the cause, engagement, quality and ability to turn it on at 3pm Saturday. Can you really say that either of of those do that on a match day? For their entire spell here? 
 

I don’t even think they’re our most talented in those positions for the record.

[hejammy]

Man I am reading that Soumare is our best CM - what kinda world are we living in? I think I would look at the u18s or even u16s to look for another CM if that is the case....

[Taz_The_Fox]

2 minutes ago, hejammy said:

Man I am reading that Soumare is our best CM - what kinda world are we living in? I think I would look at the u18s or even u16s to look for another CM if that is the case....

It is the case and thats exactly what we've done, Page a 17 year old just started in the last game. We are in dire straits, but the quicker people come to terms with that the better. 

[The Doctor]

5 hours ago, VLC86 said:

If you’ve got a Defensive Mid without a general awareness, I’d argue that is an ability issue.

its not a technical ability (I.e. ability relating to the ball) issue. It is a serious detriment but I don't think anyone is arguing otherwise 

[Supergray22]

As an optimist I have stuck up for bouba in the past as he has it in him to be a really useful player he just doesn’t seem or appear to be able to give it his all consistently. A footballers career is short and anyone that doesn’t commit fully is doing the club and themselves an injustice. I don’t think he is lazy as people suggest it’s just he appears to laid back and lacking fire and determination   That said he has been one of our best CM so far this season although that is not saying much. He could just contribute more. 

[NewburyFox]

He is a box to box midfielder with no awareness of what’s going on around him and a general unwillingness to fight for the shirt. For some of the headers Charlton won at corners, he was the closest player but doesn’t want to challenge for it. Unless Marti sorts out his attitude, he will be a liability all season. Somehow he is still better than Skipp. I cannot wait to be rid of him. 

[kingfox]

DataMB have updated their database for the 25/26 season, very early days of course, but this is what Soumare has shown from a defensive perspective so far this season, fvcking embarrassing. 
 

New midfielder with some defensive ability is a must!

[Sly]

2 hours ago, kingfox said:

DataMB have updated their database for the 25/26 season, very early days of course, but this is what Soumare has shown from a defensive perspective so far this season, fvcking embarrassing. 
 

New midfielder with some defensive ability is a must!

If that’s based on per 90 mins, Winks has hardly played? 
 

I think Soumare needed selling as soon as we had a half decent offer for what it’s worth. 

[The Guvnor]

He's a bit of an enigma, occasionally shows signs of great ability but generally completely underwhelming, I suspect here till his contract expires, yet another high earning liability. 

[ceebeefox]

18 hours ago, hejammy said:

Man I am reading that Soumare is our best CM - what kinda world are we living in? I think I would look at the u18s or even u16s to look for another CM if that is the case....

I agree, he goes through games like a ghost, you don’t know he’s there! And for a midfielder in a team that’s supposed to pass through and from his area, that’s scandalous.

[SK3Blue]

Passive, from day one, and hasn’t improved in the slightest. Best midfielder? Nonsense. 

[kingfox]

4 hours ago, Sly said:

If that’s based on per 90 mins, Winks has hardly played? 
 

I think Soumare needed selling as soon as we had a half decent offer for what it’s worth. 

It currently lists players who have played 150mins + 👍🏻
 

Winks just sneaks in on 151 mins. 

[J.Lisemore]

Has looked uninterested ever since he arrived. Remarkable that he is a centre midfielder and he doesn’t impose himself on any game, more often than not it just passes him by. Apart from the Europa League one against Spartak Moscow where he hit the bar, has he been seen in a goalscoring position since? 

[Sly]

4 minutes ago, J.Lisemore said:

Has looked uninterested ever since he arrived. Remarkable that he is a centre midfielder and he doesn’t impose himself on any game, more often than not it just passes him by. Apart from the Europa League one against Spartak Moscow where he hit the bar, has he been seen in a goalscoring position since? 

It’s because, because defensive wise, his stats semi stand up.

 

The naked eye test tells a different story though, as he doesn’t exactly look great. 

[Buzzell]

It’s going to be, yet again, another season where we all hope and pray he turns good but we all know he won’t because he’s shite.

[ithuriel]

Him and Daka have never progressed since they were signed, in fact that  transfer window was horrid and we are  still paying for it but he is here for this season so we will see if  Marti can make it work.

 

[Sol thewall Bamba]

10 minutes ago, ithuriel said:

Him and Daka have never progressed since they were signed, in fact that  transfer window was horrid and we are  still paying for it but he is here for this season so we will see if  Marti can make it work.

 

Soumare has flat lined, Daka has regressed massively.

[davieG]

https://www.leicestermercury.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/marti-cifuentes-much-faith-leicester-10454526

 

Why Marti Cifuentes has so much faith in Leicester City’s surprise main man

Boubakary Soumare is the only outfield player to have played every minute under the new manager, while he's also featured in every City fixture this calendar year

 

Jordan Blackwell

07:00, 27 AUG 2025

 

When Boubakary Soumare left for Sevilla on loan this time two years ago, it seemed like the start of the end for the French midfielder at Leicester City.

But instead, as the club begin life in the Championship again, he is the only outfield player to have played every minute in all competitions so far this season.

It means, with the club now 25 games into 2025, his record of featuring in every City match this calendar year goes on. He’s the only player in the squad for whom that is true.

 

For a wide section of City fans, the stats above are indicative of the club’s demise. In the four years since his arrival from Lille, Soumare has never produced the consistent run of good performances needed to elevate him into a player that fans really want to see in the line-up.

There have been flashes of brilliance. Half-hour periods, or even individual moments, where he’s combined intelligence, speed, strength and technical ability to bulldoze through the midfield and dominate the game.

But those instances have been fleeting. There’s also been far too many times where he’s lost concentration and let a runner skip by him.

 

It had seemed that the good reviews from his time with Sevilla would lead to a transfer last year, but nothing came. This summer, with Soumare in the final 12 months of his contract, it looked like a permanent exit would arise. But again, he remains, and with a week to go it seems he will end up staying.

Plus, he’s now a man that Marti Cifuentes clearly relies on at the base of his midfield.

The manager said: “He’s got the qualities and the strengths to play in the number six or in the number eight position.

“Technically he’s a very good player and he’s physically very strong. He understands the game as well.

“So far we are using him more as a number six, a holding midfielder, important in our build-up, important in our quality to get high to the pitch, to break the lines, to progress with the team as well to be the player that everybody knows is going to be there all the time to switch the game, to play the through.

“Defensively, he’s a player who can help us especially to recover the ball quickly. He has this capacity to cover big spaces but at the same time he is very good at intercepting and anticipating.

“He’s a very good player so we’re trying to get the best of him whatever the position.”

At the base of the midfield, a player needs to be consistent on the ball. Soumare has certainly been that so far. He has the best pass completion percentage in the Championship among those to have played at least two matches (94 per cent).

He is moving it forward too and ranks in the top 10 in the division for passes into the final third. Although the hope would be that, given City have more possession than any other side, he’ll rise to the very top of such a list before the season is out.

However, he’s not carrying it forward as often and trying to drive past players, albeit City played against two deep-set teams in the first two games.

His defensive contributions need to improve too. He made three tackles and one interception at Charlton, which was progress given he’d failed to make any of either in the first two fixtures.

Jannik Vestergaard showed two seasons ago that a player’s reputation can swing around in one good season, but Soumare needs to be really good if he’s going to win City fans over this term.

It seems under Cifuentes that he’s going to get consistent game-time. Now he needs to deliver consistent performances.

[lcfc sheff]

FFS ANOTHER MANAGER HES TRICKED!

[Sol thewall Bamba]

Assuming he makes 45 odd appearances this season before leaving on a free, we'd have paid about £35m for him over those 4 years, north of £250k per appearance.

Edited 27 August 2025 by Sol thewall Bamba

[lgfualol]

Remember that Europa league performance where he was all over the pitch, driving with the ball and was excellent?

 

Where did that come from and why did he only put in such a performance one time? 
 

Such a mysterious player. 

[kingfox]

15 minutes ago, davieG said:

Defensively, he’s a player who can help us especially to recover the ball quickly. He has this capacity to cover big spaces but at the same time he is very good at intercepting and anticipating.

Wow.

 

As I posted last night, Soumare is currently averaging 4 possessions won a game. 
 

Compare that to the Preston duo of Ali McCann and Ben Whiteman, who sit at the top of that statistic with 10+. 
 

No wonder we got out worked and lost to Preston. 

[Finnegan]

1 minute ago, kingfox said:

Wow.

 

As I posted last night, Soumare is currently averaging 4 possessions won a game. 
 

Compare that to the Preston duo of Ali McCann and Ben Whiteman, who sit at the top of that statistic with 10+. 
 

No wonder we got out worked and lost to Preston. 

 

It's relative though isn't it. Soumare has what for competition? Skipp?

 

Or we can play Hamza there who doesn't have the positional sense to play DM for Anstey Nomads u8s.

 

I don't begrudge Cifuentes playing him at the moment, he probably is our best midfielder after Winks. Nor can you fault him for trying to talk him up, he's always looked like he's struggled for confidence.

 

[Joe90]

20 hours ago, FoxesWalk said:

Bouba is our best CM and Faes is our best CB and they’re both staying. Staying in large part because of their wages I expect. 
 

Hard to accept, but true. Your general demeanour (like lazy body language) and perception you give fans in small moments (eg. petulance, sulking) really has a massive affect on people’s opinions of players, far too much affect imo. 
 

In the case of Bouba he only really has Winks near his ability in our limited array of midfielders, looking pretty light in the middle, particularly any player with a real engine and a bit of bite in CM or CDM. 

Are you on crack, or is this another woooosh moment on my behalf?