Harry Souttar moved from Stoke City to Leicester last season, but his time at the Foxes hasn’t gone as planned because a player has moved up ahead of him.
Souttar was initially tasked with maintaining Leicester in the Premier League after he joined the team in January of last year. However, Everton’s victory over Bournemouth on the final day of the season resulted in the Foxes’ relegation, which was one of the biggest shocks in terms of top tier drops since the Premier League’s inception.
Even yet, Souttar’s Stoke experiences demonstrated his superiority as a Championship player, and it was assumed that he would at the very least be a regular on a team that would always aspire to automatically return to the top.
However, he has only made two replacement appearances and one start in the second division, leaving him on the sidelines with his future uncertain.
The choice to start a young, promising player ahead of him also makes it even more perplexing that Souttar was not sold or sent out on loan.
Due to his lack of playing time, Souttar was linked to a January departure from the Foxes. Over the previous six months, the Australia international has attracted interest from Sheffield United, Everton, Celtic, and Rangers.
Souttar has little Premier League experience—he played in just 12 games for Leicester in the top flight last season—but with Sheffield United regularly conceding goals and Everton manager Sean Dyche known for favoring players with strong aerial ability in his squads, a return to the top division of English football appeared imminent.
In order to support their drive for promotion, Leicester decided to keep the 6′ 8″ center back at the club after rejecting offers for the outstanding Australian international.
It appeared to be a sign that Souttar would play more frequently in the second half of the season, but the fact that he played his final game before Christmas against Rotherham made Enzo Maresca’s choice all the more puzzling.
