‘Big Experience’ Striker Training with Leicester City Amidst Potential Winter Move

With Leicester’s ongoing striker issues, it’s no surprise the club are looking to the free-agent market for a fresh solution. City’s current centre-forward options include Jordan Ayew, Patson Daka and Julian Carranza; a trio that has scored just two non-penalty goals all season. Therefore, the Foxes looking to fill the void left by Serie A November player of the month Jamie Vardy was bound to happen, but many won’t have seen it coming this soon. Therefore, is Michail Antonio the right profile to lead the line for Marti Cifuentes’ side amid ongoing talks?

Leicester City Enter Talks With Premier League-Level Free Agent Striker

Michail Antonio To Leicester?

As reported by John Percy, now free agent Antonio is currently training with the East Midlands outfit. The Jamaican international’s contract expired this past summer, with his last game for West Ham fittingly coming against Leicester in December 2024. Despite the expiration, the Hammers still helped him with his rehabilitative period as he featured for their academy side against Manchester City and Nottingham Forest. Read More: Leicester’s Two Possible Solutions to Harry Winks Void Following Training Ground Issue Percy adds that Antonio was at Seagrave yesterday for talks, but “nothing [is] decided yet”. The forward is nearing 36 years-old, and was involved in a horror car crash last season, which has left him sidelined from club football for over a year. Before the incident, he had played 14 times in the 2024/25 Premier League campaign, with a tally of one goal and an assist. He was a crucial part of West Ham for just shy of a decade, as he managed 323 games and over 120 goal contributions. Prior to this, he spent time at numerous clubs, including East Midlands rivals Nottingham Forest, Sheffield Wednesday and Reading. When asked about Antonio at today’s press conference, Marti Cifuentes confirmed his presence. He said: “He’s a player who has big experience in the Premier League. We’re having a look. We as a Club are always working to analyse what we need and how we can improve.”

The Right Man for Leicester?

To bring in a player after such a long layoff is always going to be a risk for Leicester, especially considering their desperate need for an out-and-out goalscorer. As mentioned prior, the current options have all of their own weaknesses, which seems to be hurting the club’s aspirations of challenging for play-offs. Whilst Ayew is a good profile back-to-goal, and when slowing down play, he isn’t a brilliant aerial threat, and isn’t the type of player to score 15-20 goals a season. Likewise, Patson Daka provides energy for the press, but really lacks the technical ability to link play and finish chances. As for Julian Carranza, he hasn’t managed to hit the ground running in the Championship either. The 25 year-old has managed just 315 minutes so far this season, and has been an unused substitute for the last six fixtures. Therefore, it is really evident that a new option is key. Read More: Leicester Star Dismisses Relegation Chances And Insists They Are ‘Only Looking Up’ Whilst Antonio is ageing, he does have a decent record in front of goal during his time at West Ham. He has hit double figures in four of his last six seasons in all competitions, which is a strong indication of this. However, issues arise when looking at other factors. His reliability is a question, given all this time off, and wages may also be problematic. City’s summer window was all about reducing the average age of the squad, whilst also decreasing the wage bill. Whilst this was a step in the right direction, bringing a 35-year-old in on high wages would seem quite contradictory. Featured Image Credit: IMAGO / Pro Sports Images