This is the second instalment of the Leicester City player review series, in which we look at the performances of different Foxes this season. In the first part, I talked about Mads Hermansen, and in this article, we’ll review Harry Winks’ performances this season.
Winks joined Leicester last summer from Tottenham Hotspur for £10 million. The midfielder was seen as a vital cog in Enzo Maresca’s tactics for his ability to play through the press. It was a successful first season as a Fox for Winks, who started all but one of Leicester’s league games. The 28-year-old dictated play for Leicester and also popped up with a few key goals.
Steve Cooper also saw Winks as a key part of his tactics following his appointment as the new Leicester manager. The England international started in Leicester’s first six league games and played the full 90 minutes in all of the matches. While he was tidy on the ball as usual, he wasn’t the creative threat City needed him to be.
Winks’ set pieces have been good, but his chance creation in open play leaves much to be desired. The midfielder has created just two open play chances and has accumulated an xA (expected assists) of 0.13 (seventh in the team). Despite his passing abilities, Winks has also failed to thread a single through ball this season. For reference, Wilfred Ndidi has two.
Harry Winks’ defensive struggles
Cooper dropped Winks for the game against Bournemouth last weekend. While it was a difficult decision for the manager, it was the correct call. Winks had been defensively poor in the previous two games against Everton and Arsenal, making errors that eventually led to opposition goals.
The midfield duo of Oliver Skipp and Ndidi performed well against the Cherries and added a layer of security to the defence lacking when Winks played. However, this doesn’t mean that the 28-year-old will be on the bench for the remainder of the season. Cooper still considers him an integral member of the squad. While a Skipp-Ndidi duo looks more solid, it does lack the passing ability that Winks brings.
Cooper has confirmed that Winks will play a big part this season, stating, “Harry’s a really important player for us and has had a big impact since he’s been here. And I’m sure that will be the case going forward.”