Wilfred Ndidi - Leicester Player

[thepolice123]

Was very impressed with him against Liverpool. Defensively solid and tactically excellent player. His passing is nothing special though.

That said I don't think we ever had a specialist midfielder like him in the club before. Even our DMs like Matic and Carrick were a hybrid of a deep-lying playmaker/ball-winner. Those are the type of players we should be looking at. And if Ole were to persist with the double pivot midfield I don't think he would be the correct fit at the club. He seems to thrive only in that specific role at the tip of the inverted midfield triangle.

 

[Hala Madrid]

Ndidi right now is undoubtedly the best DM in the world, anyone who doesn't agree is just living in denial. His ball winning and tackles are the best in the world, he dictates play from a defensive point of view, an he is a far better player than Kante when he was in Leicester (actually better than Kante now).
The best high profile clubs that would fit him now are Real Madrid, Liverpool (very unlikely he goes there), Chelsea and Bayern.
These teams mentioned (especially Madrid, Bayern and Pool) are known for having overlapping fullbacks with their midfieers pushing high up; with a player like Ndidi especially in a club like Madrid where even Ramos and Varane go into the box, Ndidi would be the perfect guy to create stability when they're on the receiving end of attacks or in counters.
He ha a much higher ceiling than Kante and he's much younger...he could be leaving Leicester in the next two seasons to an European juggernaut

 

[Eckers99]

He’s a top player, but not somebody we should be aiming for. He’d cost us insane money and there’s plenty of good ball winning midfielders out there, we’ve just got to find them.

I hear Schrodinger's good.

 

[Classical Mechanic]

Ndidi right now is undoubtedly the best DM in the world, anyone who doesn't agree is just living in denial. His ball winning and tackles are the best in the world, he dictates play from a defensive point of view, an he is a far better player than Kante when he was in Leicester (actually better than Kante now).
The best high profile clubs that would fit him now are Real Madrid, Liverpool (very unlikely he goes there), Chelsea and Bayern.
These teams mentioned (especially Madrid, Bayern and Pool) are known for having overlapping fullbacks with their midfieers pushing high up; with a player like Ndidi especially in a club like Madrid where even Ramos and Varane go into the box, Ndidi would be the perfect guy to create stability when they're on the receiving end of attacks or in counters.
He ha a much higher ceiling than Kante and he's much younger...he could be leaving Leicester in the next two seasons to an European juggernaut

I don't see how he fits a 4-3-3 system like Liverpool's at all. You need a ball player as the 6 and I don't see Ndidi playing as an 8 in that system, it would be like Kante playing in Sarri's 4-3-3 last season except Ndidi is worse on the ball than Kante.

 

[thepolice123]

Ndidi right now is undoubtedly the best DM in the world, anyone who doesn't agree is just living in denial. His ball winning and tackles are the best in the world, he dictates play from a defensive point of view, an he is a far better player than Kante when he was in Leicester (actually better than Kante now).
The best high profile clubs that would fit him now are Real Madrid, Liverpool (very unlikely he goes there), Chelsea and Bayern.
These teams mentioned (especially Madrid, Bayern and Pool) are known for having overlapping fullbacks with their midfieers pushing high up; with a player like Ndidi especially in a club like Madrid where even Ramos and Varane go into the box, Ndidi would be the perfect guy to create stability when they're on the receiving end of attacks or in counters.
He ha a much higher ceiling than Kante and he's much younger...he could be leaving Leicester in the next two seasons to an European juggernaut

I like Ndidi but c'mon he is not far better than Kante when he was at Leicester.

No way he will be a good fit at Liverpool and Chelsea who have better ball-playing DMFs there. Fabinho has been better than him and Chelsea use Jorginho in his position. Bayern plays a midfield double pivot with Coutinho in the hole. Both midfielders are expected to contribute to the attack. He probably can be a like for like replacement for Casemiro but that isn't saying much.

 

[UNITED ACADEMY]

Being a ball winner is a very specific part of the game. I think you're going a little over the top in your sensitivity to the semantics. He is an exceptional ball winner. That doesn't mean he's a great all round player. I'm sure the vast majority of people understand that.

I'm not expecting him to be great all round player. An exceptional is a world class definition, and he's no where near the world class ball winner compared to others out there who aren't only judged based on their tackles & interception.

 

[Classical Mechanic]

I'm not expecting him to be great all round player. An exceptional is a world class definition, and he's no where near the world class ball winner compared to others out there who aren't only judged based on their tackles & interception.

Come on then, flesh out 'ball winner' as you understand it.

 

[Hala Madrid]

I don't see how he fits a 4-3-3 system like Liverpool's at all. You need a ball player as the 6 and I don't see Ndidi playing as an 8 in that system, it would be like Kante playing in Sarri's 4-3-3 last season except Ndidi is worse on the ball than Kante.

That's why I said "very unlikely". Between Liverpool, Sarri's teams and Chelsea, Liverpool is the team that could tweak their formation to fit him in without hampering the team's progression, but like I said...very unlikely, and Ndidi is just as good as Kante is on the ball, even better than Kante was on the ball while in Leicester.
As a matter of fact, when Sarri was in Chelsea, Kante had a personal training session (just like Matuidi) in order to improve his first touches and passing accuracy because he didn't have enough of it to start playing for Sarri immediately, it took some time, but he's better for it due to Sarri...Ndidi is even Bette in that aspect.

 

[Mcking]

I'm not expecting him to be great all round player. An exceptional is a world class definition, and he's no where near the world class ball winner compared to others out there who aren't only judged based on their tackles & interception.

By ball winning, I guess winning the ball on the air and on the ground? Kante is an exceptional ball-winner, and he does it through tackling and intercepting passes. Casemiro is an exceptional ball winner, and he does it through tackling and intercepting passes. The likes of Allan, Wan-Bissaka, Gueye and Ndidi are also exceptional ball winners and they do so through tacking and intercepting passes.
Is there any other way to win the ball on the ground except through tackling, intercepting and sweeping up loose balls, and who are all these ball-winners that are judged in different ways?

 

[UNITED ACADEMY]

Come on then, flesh out 'ball winner' as you understand it.

If Ndidi is an exceptional

What Kante, Partey & Casemiro then?

 

[Mcking]

If Ndidi is an exceptional

What Kante, Partey & Casemiro then?

Exceptional too.

 

[The Original]

The thing about Ndidi is that he seems to be continually improving. He has a consistently wider range of passing now. I think he is going to end up like Mane did...a player a lot of Utd fans didn't want Mane and thought he would flop at a top team but he only went on to become world class when he got the move.

 

[Classical Mechanic]

If Ndidi is an exceptional

What Kante, Partey & Casemiro then?

Kante and Casemeiro are at the top of the game in that regard. Partey I've only seen a bit of but haven't seen that level of player when I've watched him, although probably more well rounded as a player.

I wasn't really asking that anyway, I was curious as to how exactly you would define a ball winner through statistics in addition to tackles and interceptions? I can only think of ball recoveries that you could add to that.

 

[settembrini]

He's really good. I don't understand the snobbery some people have to defensive players who excel at defending like him and Wan-Bissaka.

I'd be wary though of making predictions about how his future career will pan out given the uncertainty of his age. Ndidi was one of the Nigerian players excluded from a youth tournament after an MRI showed he was older than his supposed date of birth in case you are unaware.

 

[mark clatternburg]

Exceptional too.

This is classic of where you are going wrong. So, Wilf has started to hit his passes a bit more and therefore he warrants a thread on the Caff, with many adding him to the order form. When you come for him, and get quoted a mammoth price, we are taking the pee.
The one you should be after is Hamza Choudhury. He is already as good. But, you will show no interest until his “stats” buzz up. Forward planning brothers, its the future.

 

[UNITED ACADEMY]

Kante and Casemeiro are at the top of the game in that regard. Partey I've only seen a bit of but haven't seen that level of player when I've watched him, although probably more well rounded as a player.

I wasn't really asking that anyway, I was curious as to how exactly you would define a ball winner through statistics in addition to tackles and interceptions? I can only think of ball recoveries that you could add to that.

The real issue here is the "exceptional" word not the ball winner. Kante & Casemiro are exceptional ball winner not because of their interception & tackles only but also they have crazy stamina, intelligent, they can still control a pass from their team mate, reliable distributor, mobile, aggressive, & good physically. Calling him exceptional based on tackle & interception stats reminds me of how people judged Morgan Schneiderlin.

 

[Classical Mechanic]

The real issue here is the "exceptional" word not the ball winner. Kante & Casemiro are exceptional ball winner not because of their interception & tackles only but also they have crazy stamina, intelligent, they can still control a pass from their team mate, reliable distributor, mobile, aggressive, & good physically. Calling him exceptional based on tackle & interception stats reminds me of how people call Morgan Schneiderlin.

I disagree with the crux of your point but it's a pretty pointless argument anyway. In the interest of diplomacy I rephrase it as 'he's the best tackler and interceptor combined in Europe's top 5 leagues so far this season'.

 

[UNITED ACADEMY]

I disagree with the crux of your point but it's a pretty pointless argument anyway. In the interest of diplomacy I rephrase it as 'he's the best tackler and interceptor combined in Europe's top 5 leagues so far this season'.

If a ball winner is called exceptional only based on tackle & intercept then I feel sorry that Kante & Casemiro are being underrated by some people here, because their ability are more than just having high percentage of tackles & interception.

 

[Classical Mechanic]

If a ball winner is called exceptional only based on tackle & intercept then I feel sorry that Kante & Casemiro are being underrated by some people here, because their ability are more than just having high percentage of tackles & interception.

OK.

 

[thepolice123]

The real issue here is the "exceptional" word not the ball winner. Kante & Casemiro are exceptional ball winner not because of their interception & tackles only but also they have crazy stamina, intelligent, they can still control a pass from their team mate, reliable distributor, mobile, aggressive, & good physically. Calling him exceptional based on tackle & interception stats reminds me of how people judged Morgan Schneiderlin.

He already said ball winning which is the main point and determined by his tackles and interceptions. Not like he said Ndidi is an exceptional midfielder. What a pointless arguement.

Even if we don't look stats just by watching him play is enough to know that he is defensively superb.

 

[The Original]

He's really good. I don't understand the snobbery some people have to defensive players who excel at defending like him and Wan-Bissaka.

I'd be wary though of making predictions about how his future career will pan out given the uncertainty of his age. Ndidi was one of the Nigerian players excluded from a youth tournament after an MRI showed he was older than his supposed date of birth in case you are unaware.

I'd be wary of judging a player's age on the basis of those MRI scans which are known not to be a reliable proof of age. They simply evaluate bone fusion but bone fusion can occur earlier in some children than in others. It is well known that these MRI scans do not offer conclusive evidence of age, although there is indeed a lot of age fraud going on in African countries.

 

[UNITED ACADEMY]

He already said ball winning which is the main point and determined by his tackles and interceptions. Not like he said Ndidi is an exceptional midfielder. What a pointless arguement.

Even if we don't look stats just by watching him play is enough to know that he is defensively superb.

Not sure how did you come to conclusion that I was talking about exceptional midfielder. We have been talking about whether Ndidi is exceptional ball winning midfielder or no. I think exceptional ball winning midfielder are Kante & Casemiro for example, Ndidi on the other hand is not in that exceptional level currently & he's even still below Partey's level.

 

[Adam-Utd]

He's really good. I don't understand the snobbery some people have to defensive players who excel at defending like him and Wan-Bissaka.

I'd be wary though of making predictions about how his future career will pan out given the uncertainty of his age. Ndidi was one of the Nigerian players excluded from a youth tournament after an MRI showed he was older than his supposed date of birth in case you are unaware.

I think plenty of us are fans of Ndidi, we know he is very good.

It's more the fact that buying from Leicester isn't easy and it'll cost us a LOT more than buying elsewhere.

 

[andersj]

What I like about him is that he brings a certain balance to the team aswell. He is not just chasing around all over the place.

I agree that he is not great on the ball, but he is not that poor either. He has significantly more passes in the final third than a player like Rice, I would guess.

I’m not a huge fan of players like him, but as already mentioned, the options are not great. Players like Fabinho and Rodri are better, but they are far from Carrick and Alonso in terms of passing.

If a specialist like him could set someone like Pogba free or maybe even allow us to play with two creative players infront of him it could be worth considering. I guess the question is whether your prefer someone less good in terms of winning the ball and a bit better on the ball (but not great or even very good)?

I did not know about the age thing, and that feels like a huge turn-off.

 

[Walters_19_MuFc]

Best ball winner in the world. I guess its why Chilwell and Pereira can go forward so willingly, knowing that this guy will cover for them. Fantastic player and only 22.

 

[El Jefe]

I think he's overrated. He's great at what he does but no chance he's good enough to be a starter at the clubs bigger than Leicester. As many have said he is nowhere near good enough on the ball but in the Leicester side it's ok because he has good ball players around him. I've watched him for Nigeria and his lack of passing is severly exposed as there's no Tielemans or Maddison to cover him. Obi Mikel often looked one dimensional at Chelsea but for the NT was able to display more of his passing ability, Ndidi has no such ability.

Now I'm not saying he's a bad player. He's an excellent ball winner and I'd have him in the squad but its not too much of an ask to have someone with good passing and great defensive qualities. His price also has to be taken into consideration, Leicester will take us to the cleaners as they did with Maguire.

 

[Walters_19_MuFc]

I think he's overrated. He's great at what he does but no chance he's good enough to be a starter at the clubs bigger than Leicester. As many have said he is nowhere near good enough on the ball but in the Leicester side it's ok because he has good ball players around him. I've watched him for Nigeria and his lack of passing is severly exposed as there's no Tielemans or Maddison to cover him. Obi Mikel often looked one dimensional at Chelsea but for the NT was able to display more of his passing ability, Ndidi has no such ability.

Now I'm not saying he's a bad player. He's an excellent ball winner and I'd have him in the squad but its not too much of an ask to have someone with good passing and great defensive qualities. His price also has to be taken into consideration, Leicester will take us to the cleaners as they did with Maguire.

That's where 'balance' comes into it.

I could argue that Tielemans and Maddison wouldn't have the freedom to be so creative if they didn't have a player like Ndidi to cover them. Much has been said about us getting a player like that to allow Pogba to be freed up. That's just the way it works.

 

[The Original]

I think he's overrated. He's great at what he does but no chance he's good enough to be a starter at the clubs bigger than Leicester. As many have said he is nowhere near good enough on the ball but in the Leicester side it's ok because he has good ball players around him. I've watched him for Nigeria and his lack of passing is severly exposed as there's no Tielemans or Maddison to cover him. Obi Mikel often looked one dimensional at Chelsea but for the NT was able to display more of his passing ability, Ndidi has no such ability.

Now I'm not saying he's a bad player. He's an excellent ball winner and I'd have him in the squad but its not too much of an ask to have someone with good passing and great defensive qualities. His price also has to be taken into consideration, Leicester will take us to the cleaners as they did with Maguire.

Can't agree with the bolded. Ndidi is like a one-man midfield for Nigeria. His passing has certainly improved over the past two years. He is not a penetrative passer but he is:

1. Very quick to release the ball
2. A very positive passer, generally passing forward, and has a decent range of passing out to the flanks

In addition to exceptional physicality and interceptions, that is enough. The genuine criticism I would have of him is that his first touch tends to be weak but he is rarely ever punished for it somehow.

 

[Mcking]

This is classic of where you are going wrong. So, Wilf has started to hit his passes a bit more and therefore he warrants a thread on the Caff, with many adding him to the order form. When you come for him, and get quoted a mammoth price, we are taking the pee.
The one you should be after is Hamza Choudhury. He is already as good. But, you will show no interest until his “stats” buzz up. Forward planning brothers, its the future.

Dunno why you're quoting me though...

 

[Mcking]

Can't agree with the bolded. Ndidi is like a one-man midfield for Nigeria. His passing has certainly improved over the past two years. He is not a penetrative passer but he is:

1. Very quick to release the ball
2. A very positive passer, generally passing forward, and has a decent range of passing out to the flanks

In addition to exceptional physicality and interceptions, that is enough. The genuine criticism I would have of him is that his first touch tends to be weak but he is rarely ever punished for it somehow.

Etebo is usually very good too. He is the one that tends to take more responsibility with the ball.

 

[El Jefe]

Etebo is usually very good too. He is the one that tends to take more responsibility with the ball.

I was just about to respond to his post with this. It's not true at all that he's a one man midfield when it's Etebo that shoulders the responsibility of passes for Nigeria.

I'd very much like to have a Nigerian playing for us but I sense people are getting a bit carried away. Ndidi very much reminds me of Sandro that was at Spurs under Redknapp. Very good player and one I'd have at a decent price but if we're looking at up to £60m I'd want a player that is much better on the ball. A Fabinho or Partey type would be much more value for money.

 

[Adcuth]

I'd go all out for him in the summer. His league experience is a major plus for us, we can't afford time for all the players we get to settle in. He be a major player for us I think.

 

[mark clatternburg]

Dunno why you're quoting me though...

Sorry mate, I didnt mean to.

 

[thepolice123]

Not sure how did you come to conclusion that I was talking about exceptional midfielder. We have been talking about whether Ndidi is exceptional ball winning midfielder or no. I think exceptional ball winning midfielder are Kante & Casemiro for example, Ndidi on the other hand is not in that exceptional level currently & he's even still below Partey's level.

You deemed Ndidi not being an exceptional ball-winner and that Kante and Casemiro are better because:

but also they have crazy stamina, intelligent, they can still control a pass from their team mate, reliable distributor, mobile, aggressive, & good physically.

I mean what has those qualities listed above got to do with ball-winning as a standalone quality? Its just like saying Modric is a good passer because he can tackle well. Ridiculous argument and out of line.

Anyway on current level, Ndidi is easily as good as Casemiro for me.

 

[Jibbs]

I would say the club is going in the right direction, if before splurging on the likes of Sancho and Maddison, we first bring in one of Ndidi and Partey. Both rock solid players who would become the anchor of the team.

 

[jeff gurr]

Ndidi's game has improved under Rodgers this season, his defensive game has always been top drawer but his passing has been a tad iffy.
At 22 years old he has a fantastic future but I don't see Leicester letting him leave any time soon.

The papers have Ndidi, Chilwell & Maddison following Maguire out this Summer. Leicester will have to look at how Southampton selling their top players worked out for them.

 

[Skills]

We should sign Leicester's chief scout instead.

 

[matherto]

Honestly we just need a destroyer. I couldn't give a shit about his passing as long as it isn't as bad as Fred's.

We concede far too many chances and we're so easy to run/pass through it's ridiculous that we're arguing over how good they are at passing when we just need them to tackle and intercept and not have our defence under seige every time a team goes forward.

 

[VorZakone]

We should sign Leicester's chief scout instead.

Didn't work out well for Everton.

 

[Fox_Chrys]

Ndidi is a good player, but he isnt great. I dont think he is in the same league as kante, it might be easy to think that as kante is not so useful for chelsea, but for us kante was a game changer, a stand out player.

His first touch is a bit dodgy and can be slow to react, but he does win the ball back often, and is a very good team player.