The 20-year-old had been on the Foxes’ radar and that isn’t a surprise considering they had been linked with a number of City players during the summer including Shea Charles and Cole Palmer.
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Enzo Maresca previously worked at the Etihad alongside Pep Guardiola until his move to the King Power Stadium in the summer – and he looked set to use his contacts there to bring in some top-quality additions.
In the end, Maresca only brought in one City man in the end, with Callum Doyle joining on a season-long loan and instantly becoming one of the first names on the teamsheet for the Foxes.
What happened with James McAtee?
McAtee had been linked with a number of clubs during the summer window – and it was unclear whether he was going to seal a return to Sheffield United because the Blades were only able to loan one player from City following their promotion to the Premier League.
They could have made a loan move for former loanee Tommy Doyle and that would have ruled out a temporary switch for McAtee, who would have surely been out of their price range if they tried to recruit him permanently.
But they seemingly didn’t move to Doyle in the end and McAtee reportedly dug his heels in to persuade City to let him go back on loan to Bramall Lane.
Guardiola’s side had been reluctant to let the player return to South Yorkshire because they didn’t know if he could handle a relegation fight.
But player power proved to be crucial in the end, with the midfielder holding talks with Leicester but opting to make the switch to Paul Heckingbottom’s side again.
According to Leicestershire Live journalist Blackwell, they had an interest in McAtee because it may have been a reasonably easy deal to get over the line late on if Ndidi had moved on, with the Leicester man attracting late interest from Nottingham Forest and other teams.
The two players aren’t too similar – but McAtee would have added midfield depth if Ndidi had departed.
Should Leicester City have pursued James McAtee regardless of other factors?
McAtee could have been an excellent addition for the Foxes because Maresca knows him well and he could have been a valuable contributor in the final third.
However, they can’t add options to the squad for the sake of it and they already have some high-quality options in the middle of the park.
Some of their midfielders including Cesare Casadei can push up and make attacking contributions – and the arrival of McAtee may have consigned other top-quality players to a place on the bench.
That probably wouldn’t have been good for morale, so the fact they didn’t recruit McAtee may turn out to be a good decision.
It seems mad to say that because the Sheffield United loanee clearly has quality and has thrived at this level before – but they may be able to cope without him considering the existing midfield options they have and the fact they can be such a threat from the wing as well.
Not only do they have creators – but they have players that can be prolific at this level.
