Amir RICHARDSON of Reims during the Ligue 1 Uber Eats match between Strasbourg and Reims at Stade de la Meinau on April 13, 2024 in Strasbourg, France.(Photo by Hugo Pfeiffer/Icon Sport via Getty Images)
As they look to replace Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, Leicester City is considering a move for Ligue 1 midfielder Amir Richardson. With Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall’s £30 million move to Chelsea confirmed this week, Leicester City will be hoping they can move their focus from sales to signings having passed the 30th June PSR deadline.
Steve Cooper is the manager responsible for replacing Enzo Maresca, the Argentine who left for Chelsea before taking Dewsbury-Hall with him. The Argentine left for Chelsea before taking Dewsbury-Hall with him, so Leicester will need to find a replacement, and it appears they are prepared to do so. According to L’Equipe, the club is ‘interested’ in Reims midfielder Amir Richardson, who has been valued at £8.5 million by his club.
Leicester are not the only club interested, with Everton and Udinese also reportedly keen, but here is everything you need to know about Cooper’s midfield target.
22-year-old Richardson is a center midfielder who is now with Reims, a top-tier French team.
Richardson was born in Nice, France, and his mother is French-Moroccan. His father, American basketball player Michael Ray Richardson, is responsible for his surname.
From the age of six to ten, Richardson was a player for Nice’s youth team, AS Fontanne Antibes. After being seen by Nice, the young player was sent to their academy, where he stayed until joining with Le Have in 2021.
The 6ft 5in midfielder made his professional debut in the French second tier in May 2021 and won Ligue 2’s ‘Nugget of the Month’ award for the league’s best young player in December 2021 during an impressive campaign which convinced Reims to sign him at the end of the season.
Reims immediately loaned Richardson back to Le Havre and he was key as they won promotion, being named in the league’s Team of the Year.
Last season, manager Will Still integrated Richardson into the Reims side and he played 28 Ligue 1 games, scoring three and assisting once but did not start any of the final five games of the campaign as he fell out of favour.
Eligible for France, USA and Morocco internationally, Richardson opted for the latter despite having played for France at youth level.
The young talent was part of the Morocco side that won the under-23 African Cup of Nations in 2023 and has since made seven appearances for the senior side.
How has Amir Richardson been described?
Bence Bocsak, a senior football journalist: “Amir Richardson, he won the U23 AFCON with Morocco last year.
With his unusual midfielder profile—he is a 1.95-meter-tall, quick player who excels at both ball movement and defense.
Excellent with the ball. only twenty-one years old.
Amir Richardson player profile
- Full name: Michael Amir Junior Richardson
- Age: 22
- Height: 1.97m (6ft 5in)
- Nationality: French-Moroccan
- Date of birth: 24th January 2002
- Place of birth: Nice, France
- Position: Centre-midfield
- Club: Reims (France)
Richardson is a powerhouse of a midfielder at 6ft 5in and could add real steel to Leicester’s midfield ahead of their Premier League return.
With Wilfred Ndidi looking increasingly likely to sign a new contract at the Foxes, Richardson could prove to be the perfect midfield partner for the Nigerian.
