We should be talking about Youri Tielemans

Leicester City have been flying this year, following the disappointment of falling out of the top four at the end of last season they have picked up and currently sit fourth in the table having won 12 games.

A big part of the fox’s success is its midfield and whilst Harvey Barnes and James Maddison rightly get praise, it is Tielemans who has impressed again, making the central midfield position his own and pulling the strings for this team.

Tielmans has played in central midfield and defensive midfield this season, often partnering Wilfried Ndidi, in both positions he has received a universal rating of over 7.05. Defensively, the Belgium midfielder is not afraid of getting stuck in, making 1.2 interceptions per 90, 2 tackles per 90 and only being dribbled past 1.2 times per 90. Though this is not stand out statistics it shows how Tielemans is involved and that his defensive work rate is at a high level. Getting the ball forward is wear the midfielder excels, scoring 5 goals and getting 2 assists in 20 Premier League games this year, his ability to get into the box from deep midfield is clear to see, but it is his passing range which I believe will make him a top player. Tielemans makes around 64 passes per 90 with an accuracy of 82.4% showing he mostly gets the ball to where its meant to be, controlling that midfield area, this is also evident as the player is dispossessed less that once per 90. His range is also evident as he makes 3.8 long balls per 90 with at least 1.6 key passes per 90 as well.

All this shows how integral the Belgium player is to the fox’s having played every single Premier League game for them this season and pulling those midfield strings to propel them up the table.

Tielemans is just 23 years old and has played a lot of football at a high level, having been at Monaco and Anderlecht before joining Leicester City and with his current form seems destined to play at the highest level. It is more than clear that Tielemans is a talent with his pedigree, coming through the ranks of the esteemed academy in Anderlecht and has already been linked with the likes of Barcelona and Manchester City, but as with most over-hyped young players, its hard to live up to it, though it seems that the young midfielder is finding his stride and will be playing at the top level sooner rather than later, be that with the midlands club or elsewhere.