Do Leicester City have a future star in South Africa's Khanya Leshabela?

It’s not everyday that we get to hear an African, never mind a South African player get signed up by one of the teams in the English premier league until recently. Youngster Khanya Leshabela recently signed his first ever professional contract, penning a three-and-a-half year deal with 2015/2016 Premier League champions, Leicester City.

“Remember the name Khanya Leshabela.”

— Siphosethu Thwala, FirstTouch Africa

Having left his home country as a child,  the attacking midfielder joined the Foxes' academy in March 2013. Since then, Leshabela has slowly been progressing through the ranks at Leicester over the last couple of years, shining for the Foxes’ academy where his magnificent performances eventually caught the eye of U-23s manager Steve Beagkehole. It therefore came as no surprise when the youngster was promoted to the club’s U-23s this season after impressing at U-19 level across the course of 2017/18 while he also featured for the club in the 2016/17 UEFA Youth League. Most recently, Leshabela was on the brink of his much-awaited debut when he was named on the bench in the Carabao Cup against Southampton back in November 2018. His rapid development with the Foxes saw him called up to the first-team by manager Claude Puel when Leicester faced Southampton in the EFL Cup.

The dynamic youngster usually operates out wide on either flank, where he’s able to use his speed and trickery to blaze past defenders. However, he has also shown traits of versatility in his game by playing in other positions including the number-10 role as well as playing as a false nine. Commenting on his style of play, Leshabela alluded, "I would say I'm a midfielder that can operate anywhere across the midfield and I like to get on the ball and create things”.

In recent years it's been rare for a South African player to play in the English Premier League, largely due to difficulties in attaining a work permit. In late 2018, the youngster criticised the national team selectors for their lack of support in tracking his progress in England. It is said that Leshabela is very keen on representing his home country.

While Leshabela may not yet be a household name within the South African football circles, he has stamped his authority and his hard work has earned him the recognition he deserves. Having signed his new contract, all eyes will be on Leshabela to make his debut and become a success at the Foxes. One would think having experienced players like Jamie Vardy and support from his fellow African colleagues including Wilfred Ndidi and Kelechi Iheanacho will help young Leshabela settle well at the club. Blessed with immense talent, it is only a matter of time before football lovers stand up and take notice of the 19-year-old. Remember the name Khanya Leshabela.

FT 2017/18 African Transcendent XI: LW - Percy Tau [Mamelodi Sundowns]

Many African players have light up the European leagues ever since the days of George Weah. These include Didier Drogba, Samuel Eto’o, Yaya Toure, Okocha, etc. who have performed at an extraordinary level in the past decades. Mo Salah of Liverpool and Egypt has been the fan favorite this year for his record-breaking goals and guiding his club to the UEFA Champions League final. But this is not all the continent has to offer. There are other young players who are showing early promises of reaching these levels or even better them. Therefore, FirstTouch reflects on the next transcendent U23 players in each position.

LW - Percy Tau

The only player to make it on our list of the next transcendent players while playing in the continent of Africa is Percy Tau. The 23-year old has been the star of the show in the South African Premier Soccer League in recent years. The South African player has been likened to Premier League stars such as Sadio Mane with former football legends like El Hadji Diouf claiming that he is better than the Senegalese forward who plays for Liverpool. If you want to know more about this player, you can read an article we shared about his heroic performances for Mamelodi Sundowns who recently played against Barcelona on Wednesday, 15 May 2018.

FT 2017/18 African Transcendent XI: CF - Emmanuel Boateng [Levante]

Many African players have light up the European leagues ever since the days of George Weah. These include Didier Drogba, Samuel Eto’o, Yaya Toure, Okocha, etc. who have performed at an extraordinary level in the past decades. Mo Salah of Liverpool and Egypt has been the fan favorite this year for his record-breaking goals and guiding his club to the UEFA Champions League final. But this is not all the continent has to offer. There are other young players who are showing early promises of reaching these levels or even better them. Therefore, FirstTouch reflects on the next transcendent U23 players in each position.

CF - Emmanuel Boateng

21-year old Ghanaian striker made the headlines a few weeks ago after inspiring Levante into defeating Barcelona to end their undefeated run. The player scored a hat-trick in the match and many fans have been curious to know what he is about. The young African player joined Levante in the summer of 2017 from Portuguese side Moreirense and has a mixed start to life in Spain. He only started 11 matches for Levante and has scored 7 goals. Three of them coming on that historic night against Barcelona. He made a claim to the rest of the world that he is capable of performing against the very best just like Samuel Eto’o did after he was released by Real Madrid. He went on to make the move to Barcelona and became a legend for the club. Are we witnessing another story of an African player who proves his worth at a small Spanish side before moving to the biggest clubs in Europe? What we know for sure he has started to attract the attention that had been reserved for Kelechi Iheanacho who has stagnated ever since 2016.

FT 2017/18 African Transcendent XI: RW - Keita Balde [Monaco]

Many African players have light up the European leagues ever since the days of George Weah. These include Didier Drogba, Samuel Eto’o, Yaya Toure, Okocha, etc. who have performed at an extraordinary level in the past decades. Mo Salah of Liverpool and Egypt has been the fan favorite this year for his record-breaking goals and guiding his club to the UEFA Champions League final. But this is not all the continent has to offer. There are other young players who are showing early promises of reaching these levels or even better them. Therefore, FirstTouch reflects on the next transcendent U23 players in each position.

RW - Keita Balde

The right-winger was born in Spain and chose to represent Senegal, his father’s country of origin. The 23-year old currently plays for Monaco having joined the club from Lazio in a £27.8m deal after the club lost their star forward Kylian Mbappe to PSG. They trusted that the African player has the right attributes to fill the boots of the most expensive teenager in world football. The player has been somewhat of a success. He scored 8 goals and created 7 in a season where he started 19 matches. If these statistics are not good enough, it shows that we already compare him to the best performers in Europe who have been consistent in providing assists more like Kevin De Bruyne. The Senegalese forward will be on the opposite side of another dangerous forward in Sadio Mane at the FIFA World Cup Russia 2018. Senegal will be a force to recon and this is thanks to how these African players have developed on the European scene.

FT 2017/18 African Transcendent XI: CM - Naby Keita [RB Leipzig]

Many African players have light up the European leagues ever since the days of George Weah. These include Didier Drogba, Samuel Eto’o, Yaya Toure, Okocha, etc. who have performed at an extraordinary level in the past decades. Mo Salah of Liverpool and Egypt has been the fan favorite this year for his record-breaking goals and guiding his club to the UEFA Champions League final. But this is not all the continent has to offer. There are other young players who are showing early promises of reaching these levels or even better them. Therefore, FirstTouch reflects on the next transcendent U23 players in each position.

CM - Naby Keita

Naby Keita made it in the German Bundesliga team of the Year in 2017 after guiding RB Leipzig to a second-place finish in the league. The following summer, Liverpool agreed on a deal in principle to take the Guinea international in the following year to the Anfield Stadium. The 23-year old has been the engine for one of the Red Bull franchise teams which have progressed in the past two years. The biggest headache that he will give to his new coach, Jurgen Klopp is his versatility. The player can play anywhere in midfield and can still be offensive. This season alone, he has scored 10 goals and provided 7 assists in all competitions according to WhoScored. He has been linked with clubs like Barcelona, Arsenal, and Liverpool before to show the caliber of player he is. He sure is destined to be a top, top player and it would be a mistake if Liverpool decides not to finalize the deal.

FT 2017/18 African Transcendent XI: CDM - Wilfred Ndidi [Leicester City]

Many African players have light up the European leagues ever since the days of George Weah. These include Didier Drogba, Samuel Eto’o, Yaya Toure, Okocha, etc. who have performed at an extraordinary level in the past decades. Mo Salah of Liverpool and Egypt has been the fan favorite this year for his record-breaking goals and guiding his club to the UEFA Champions League final. But this is not all the continent has to offer. There are other young players who are showing early promises of reaching these levels or even better them. Therefore, FirstTouch reflects on the next transcendent U23 players in each position.

CDM - Wilfred Ndidi

Nigerian midfielder, Wilfred Ndidi has already started to make a name for himself in the most competitive leagues in Europe. The 21-year old moved to Leicester in January 2017 for £15m from Genk. He has since proved his worth against some of the best tacklers in the game such as N’golo Kante and Idrissa Gana Gueye who are all of the African descent. Ndidi is leading the Premier League charts as the best tackler with 138 in his 33 league appearances. The player also proved that he is an all-round midfielder and can offer more in terms of goal creation as he has scored a goal and provided 3 assists for Leicester in the league and FA Cup. It is exciting to hear that the young Nigerian is being linked with clubs like Arsenal who have had many problems in midfield ever since Patrick Vieira left the club. Ndidi has the potential to be a Premier League great if he makes a wise decision which involves him moving to a bigger club that can take his game to the next level like the likes of Michael Essien did at Chelsea under Mourinho. The season has ended and his focus is on the FIFA World Cup where he will be representing his nation who will play their first match against Croatia. 

The 21-year old midfield enforcer is as good as anyone you can get in his position and will be looking to strike a formidable midfield partnership with former Nigerian teammate and Golden Boy Winner John Obi Mikel who used to play for Chelsea before he left for China. We expect Ndidi to be doing the ‘dirty work’ for the team before distributing the ball to the playmaker who will transition the play to attack and hurt teams like Argentina, Croatia and Iceland in Group D. Wilfred has a long career ahead of him and should be looking to prove his worth especially against Messi’s team if he hopes of moving from being considered a good player to a great player. Arsenal has been reported to be sniffing around the possibility of capturing the talented African midfield enforcer and making him their new Vieira who will shut opponents if they try to break them on the counter. Will Ndidi be ready by the time the tournament kicks off in 21 days?

FT 2017/18 African Transcendent XI: CDM - Franck Kessie [AC Milan]

Many African players have light up the European leagues ever since the days of George Weah. These include Didier Drogba, Samuel Eto’o, Yaya Toure, Okocha, etc. who have performed at an extraordinary level in the past decades. Mo Salah of Liverpool and Egypt has been the fan favorite this year for his record-breaking goals and guiding his club to the UEFA Champions League final. But this is not all the continent has to offer. There are other young players who are showing early promises of reaching these levels or even better them. Therefore, FirstTouch reflects on the next transcendent U23 players in each position.

CDM - Franck Kessie

The Ivory Coast (Cote d’Ivoire) international currently plays as the holding midfielder for Italian giants, AC Milan. The 21-year old is on-loan from Atalanta but looks set to be the heir of long-retired Gattuso who is coincidentally coaching the player at AC Milan. Many comparisons have been drawn between the player and another football legend in Yaya Toure who enjoyed his best years of football in Manchester, England. Kessie has been dubbed the long-term replacement of Yaya Toure in the national team and he has not disappointed. Although the club has had a poor season, Kessie appeared in 36 appearances scoring 5 goals in the process as well as providing 5 assists. Kessie shows early promises of being a dominant enforcer in midfield who can drive his team forward at his own will just like Yaya Toure did in England. He looks ready for the next big challenge, clubs like Arsenal should definitely have the player on their radar.

FT 2017/18 African Transcendent XI: LB – Ramadan Sobhi [Stoke City]

Many African players have light up the European leagues ever since the days of George Weah. These include Didier Drogba, Samuel Eto’o, Yaya Toure, Okocha, etc. who have performed at an extraordinary level in the past decades. Mo Salah of Liverpool and Egypt has been the fan favorite this year for his record-breaking goals and guiding his club to the UEFA Champions League final. But this is not all the continent has to offer. There are other young players who are showing early promises of reaching these levels or even better them. Therefore, FirstTouch reflects on the next transcendent U23 players in each position.

LB – Ramadan Sobhi

Stoke City’s Ramadhan Sobhi currently plays as a winger in Paul Lambert’s team but his versatility allows him to fill in the left-back position in the Next African Transcendent XI. The 21-year old comes from the land of Egypt which has produced a 2018 Ballon D’Or contender in Mo Salah and he is as skilled as the Liverpool player. Sobhi is confident on the ball which has seen him represent his club and country on 29 different occasions scoring 3 goals in a process. Not bad for a 21-year old who is not a starter for the English club. The excitement brought about when such young players take on the best in the league prove that the continent of Africa has so much talent and it is just a matter of time before that talent translates to strong teams that can compete for the FIFA World Cup and other international tournaments.

FT 2017/18 African Transcendent XI: CB - Eric Bailly [Manchester United]

Many African players have light up the European leagues ever since the days of George Weah. These include Didier Drogba, Samuel Eto’o, Yaya Toure, Okocha, etc. who have performed at an extraordinary level in the past decades. Mo Salah of Liverpool and Egypt has been the fan favorite this year for his record-breaking goals and guiding his club to the UEFA Champions League final. But this is not all the continent has to offer. There are other young players who are showing early promises of reaching these levels or even better them. Therefore, FirstTouch reflects on the next transcendent U23 players in each position.

CB - Eric Bailly

The African continent has failed to produce the best talents in this position which means that the focus will be on the Manchester United defender even though he is an already established player. Bailly joined Manchester United from Villarreal for £30m in 2016. He has proved his consistency for the Red Devils but he has had problems with match fitness. He has suffered some setbacks and injuries which have kept him out of the United team of late but the Ivory Coast international is Mourinho’s first preference in the heart of a defense. Bailly is popular for his confident and aggressive approach to the game not forgetting his passing abilities. He can easily pass as a defensive midfielder because of his power, pace and forward runs that he often makes whenever he is given the freedom to roam around the pitch in search for a goal. Many African players have light up the European leagues ever since the days of George Weah. These include Didier Drogba, Samuel Eto’o, Yaya Toure, Okocha, etc. who have performed at an extraordinary level in the past decades. Mo Salah of Liverpool and Egypt has been the fan favorite this year for his record-breaking goals and guiding his club to the UEFA Champions League final. But this is not all the continent has to offer. There are other young players who are showing early promises of reaching these levels or even better them. Therefore, FirstTouch reflects on the next transcendent U23 players in each position.

FT 2017/18 African Transcendent XI: CB-Chancel Mbemba [Newcastle]

Many African players have light up the European leagues ever since the days of George Weah. These include Didier Drogba, Samuel Eto’o, Yaya Toure, Okocha, etc. who have performed at an extraordinary level in the past decades. Mo Salah of Liverpool and Egypt has been the fan favorite this year for his record-breaking goals and guiding his club to the UEFA Champions League final. But this is not all the continent has to offer. There are other young players who are showing early promises of reaching these levels or even better them. Therefore, FirstTouch reflects on the next transcendent U23 players in each position.

CB - Chancel Mbemba

Congolese international Chancel Mbemba currently plies his trade in the English Premier League with Newcastle and plays as a center-back. The 23-year old deputized the injured Jamaal Lascelles and Florian Lejeune whenever they were suspended or out injured. The player has not been an instant hit in the English Premier League has started only 7 matches in the league and coming on as a substitute on two different occasions for the relegation-threatened Newcastle. The young African player must be relieved that his team eventually managed to survive which means that he has another opportunity to show his worth in the league unless the club takes a new direction and appoint a new coach who could make wholesome changes in the squad. Mbemba is just 23 and can be a great player if given the opportunity that the likes of Kolo Toure were given by Arsene Wenger at Arsenal.

FT 2017/18 African Transcendent XI: RB-Achraf Hakimi [Real Madrid]

Many African players have light up the European leagues ever since the days of George Weah. These include Didier Drogba, Samuel Eto’o, Yaya Toure, Okocha, etc. who have performed at an extraordinary level in the past decades. Mo Salah of Liverpool and Egypt has been the fan favorite this year for his record-breaking goals and guiding his club to the UEFA Champions League final. But this is not all the continent has to offer. There are other young players who are showing early promises of reaching these levels or even better them. Therefore, FirstTouch reflects on the next transcendent U23 players in each position.

RB – Achraf Hakimi

The Spanish-born right back plays for Real Madrid, the biggest club in the history of football. Popularly known as just ‘Achraf’, the player decided to represent the Moroccan national team because of his heritage. the 19-year old is the current second option in the right-back position in Zinedine Zidane’s team. His development as a player pushed Danilo, a £26m signing out of the club. Real Madrid has had some greats in that position before including current club captain Sergio Ramos before he moved into the center-back position. Hakimi is versatile himself and can play in midfield. It is safe to say that the player is in the right place to show if he is capable of competing at the highest level. With a couple of appearances under his belt and under the mentorship of a coach who pays attention to the youth as Zidane, we are guaranteed to be seeing the best of the player in the years to come. For now, we look forward to seeing the player at the FIFA World Cup Russia 2018 in Moroccan colors.

FT 2017/18 African Transcendent XI: GK-Andre Onana [Ajax]

Many African players have light up the European leagues ever since the days of George Weah. These include Didier Drogba, Samuel Eto’o, Yaya Toure, Okocha, etc. who have performed at an extraordinary level in the past decades. Mo Salah of Liverpool and Egypt has been the fan favorite this year for his record-breaking goals and guiding his club to the UEFA Champions League final. But this is not all the continent has to offer. There are other young players who are showing early promises of reaching these levels or even better them. Therefore, FirstTouch reflects on the next transcendent U23 players in each position.

GK – Andre Onana

22-year old Onana is a goalkeeper for Dutch club Ajax who guided his team to a second-placed finish in the league. Andre Onana hails from Nkol Ngok, Cameroon and is showing early promises of becoming a European hit like his predecessors. To those that watched football between the 80s and 90s, they should remember a famous Liverpool goalkeeper who was from Zimbabwe. Bruce Grobbler was popular for his comedic stunts between the sticks. If not him, then you probably know Vincent Enyeama. One of the African legends who played for Nigeria for the longest time. Andre Onana is on his way. Ajax is a team that has produced some of the best talents in Europe and he has a starting spot on that team. It is just a matter of time before the rest of Europe start bidding in for the keeper of the future who is already amassing 39 appearances in a top league.

Collette Roche to be appointed as the first female CEO at Manchester United

Current Executive Director at Manchester Airports Group, Collete Roche, is set to become the next chief executive officer at Manchester United. The lady will become only the 9th female in the English Premier League to be taking up a role in the boardroom. Darcie Glazer is the only female director right now at the club but she does not work in executive capacity. This is the first time that the club will be appointing a female for the position and we could not be more excited. We also looked elsewhere to see who’s where and we found out that Karren Brady is in the board as the Vice-Chairman at West Ham. She has also seen some smart investments in quality players this season even though the club is struggling to meet expectations. Marina Granovskaia is a director as well under Roman Abramovic at Chelsea. Leicester City are also with a female CEO in Susan Whelan who was appointed in 2011. The list goes on for the women in the EPL but there are only two female directors in the FA in England. These directors include Kate Tinsley and Rupinder Bains. The club applied in March to join the Women’s League and it would be interesting to see how their team would fare.  

Chelsea win 2-1 in extra time

Antonio Conte proves he has still got it as his team fought hard for him against Leicester City in a match which they won 2-1 in extra time. First, it was Alvaro Morata who was out to prove his critics wrong who have been at his back for not living up to expectations. Some believe that he does not deserve to start for Chelsea ahead of Giroud because he is out of confidence. Nonetheless, it did not prevent him from scoring the opener in the 42nd minute. There was nothing much in the match after the break before Vardy deservedly evened the scores in the 76th minute. 90 minutes passed and still, there was no winner. The match had to go to extra time where N’golo, in an unfamiliar position to the right, whipped a beautiful cross and it was headed home by the Spanish Pedro of all people on 105 minutes. That was it for the night as both teams tried to score more with nothing materializing. Chelsea are up against Southampton next in the semis whom are now under the coach Mark Hughes who won 2-1 against Wigan in his first game in charge. Game on!

EPL Roundup Matchday 30

Gabonese striker, Pierre Emerick Aubameyang continues to lead the charge in the revitalised Arsenal side which had been lacking confidence recently. He scored away against Brighton in the Gunners’ 2-1 loss and added to his tally yesterday in emphatic style. The Batman, quickly latched on to Mkhitaryan’s silky pass and rounded the goalkeeper before finding the back of the net, capping off with an acrobatic celebration. He later on assisted the Armenian for Arsenal’s third goal. Elsewhere, Algeria’s Riyad Mahrez did what he does best for Leicester - assist and score goals. The Manchester City transfer saga seems to be behind him now. Riyad and Nigeria’s Kelechi Iheanacho, who scored his first EPL goal for the Foxes, were both on the scoresheet as Leicester embarrassed bottom of the table West Bromwich Albion, 4-1. Serge Aurier also grabbed a goal in Tottenham’s 4-1 win over Bournemouth together fellow Ivorian, Eric Bailly who returned to Man United’s starting line up. Bailly stopped Salah from scoring a goal for the first time in eight starts for Liverpool but couldn’t help but finish off Sadio Mane’s cross into his own net.

Mahrez Admits Regret For Man City Winter Transfer Saga

The former PFA Player of the Year Winner Riyad Mahrez of Leicester city has finally opened up about his reactions post the Manchester City saga in January this year. The player got angry when his club refused to let him go to Manchester City when the league leaders came calling for his services in the transfer window. The Algeria international immediately stopped training with the first team and was quoted to having said that, “I will not play for them ever again.” Mahrez felt that the club did not do him justice by allowing him his dream move to a massive club that has the opportunity to lift three trophies this season under Pep. His self-imposed exile lasted for a little more than a week as he eventually came to his senses and returned to play for the club that made him the player he is today. He regrets having made that decision of taking some time off because it represented a lack of professionalism which could potentially harm his move to another club in the future. He concedes that it was a bad period for him and that he has now gotten that behind him and if focused on giving his all for Leicester. Who knows what could happen in the summer? He could eventually go to City and increase the competition for Sterling on the right.