Leicester City are leading a whole host of clubs in the race to sign highly reputed youngster Ben Marshall in a transfer that should remind everybody of the fickle system of the newly introduced Elite Players Performance Plan and all that jazz.
20 year old Marshall is currently at Stoke City and it is believed Nigel Pearson’s Leicester are at the forefront of the run to sign the winger as they jostle for position with the likes of Hull, Charlton, Huddersfield and Sheffield Wednesday, where he has been spending time on loan.
Marshall is said to have become frustrated at the lack of first team opportunities at Stoke and even though a three year deal is on the table at the Britannia, it is looking increasingly likely that Marshall would be willing to say “sayanora, nice to know ya!” to the friendly lot at Stoke and head elsewhere for a more prominent chance.
Leicester are believed to be favourites after Nigel Pearson is looking to get down and talk business in an all serious way, think Don Corleone in the Godfather although not as soave, after his squad fell foul to yet another injury, this time to midfielder Paul Gallagher and having been knocked back in their pursuit of Jimmy Kebe on Monday.
Reports however of a £500,000 deal being signed, sealed and delivered with the Foxes seem to be premature as Stoke value him much higher than that while Sheffield Wednesday are also looking to see if they can turn that loan deal into a permanent one.
Well anyway, a bit of background into Ben Marshall; he was a hotly-tipped member of the Crewe Alexandra academy before he left to join Stoke at the age of 18 having refused to sign a professional deal at Gresty Road having fell victim to a lack of endeavour installed into the youth-set-up by then-manager Gudjon Thordarsson. With the player’s future uncertain, in came Stoke with their fancy Bet 365 bank notes and promised Marshall a brighter future which was settled by the payment of a tribunal fee.
Off went Marshall and his partner Matthew Lund to make not a single appearance for the Potters and although Lund remains at Stoke in the faint hope he can still make it, Marshall is on the verge of slipping back into the football league. So as Marshall was busy plying his trade in League One in a desperate attempt to find his way back into a first team, anywhere, now looking like the one at the King Power Stadium, it should serve as a lesson to anybody who tries to take advantage of these new top-friendly rules that favour the more affluent clubs, the grass isn’t always greener.
@AdamGray1250
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