Expert Opinion On Ilari Kangasniemi: "A ball-playing centre-back with tremendous potential"

The tenth signing of the Russell Martin era is 19-year-old centre-back Ilari Kangasniemi from Finnish top-flight side Inter Turku.

News of the Finland Under-21 international’s move to the Foxes was first broken on Monday 24th August by journalist Eetu Ikola, and For Fox Sake have been speaking to the Finnish football expert about what to expect from City’s new signing.

"Kangasniemi is rated as one of the biggest prospects in Finland, with some even dubbing him as the next Sami Hyypiä,” Ikola told For Fox Sake’s Rob Hayes.

"What makes him so exciting is the fact that he is nowhere near his full potential yet.

"This move to a fixture-heavy league with a lot of game time ahead could be exactly the reason they decided to choose Leicester over the clubs in top five leagues.”

Martin’s possession-based approach requires defenders to be extremely comfortable on the ball, which has proved part of their undoing in the opening few matches of the campaign.

The City boss has been clear that the club are in the market for more than one centre-back and it is an obvious conclusion to draw that these new recruits must be more suited to the ball-playing style expected of them than the current pairing of Caleb Okoli and Harry Souttar.

Ikola believes that Kangasniemi possesses the necessary traits to fit straight into City’s backline.

"He is 199cm tall, and knows how to use his size for his advantage,” he continued.

"He possesses great technical ability, an aerial threat from set-pieces and is quick from his feet too.

"He likes to come off the defensive line, press high, and take on opponents after an interception before making a pass forward.”

Despite still being a teenager, Kangasniemi has made 32 senior appearances for Inter Turku, including six in the Europa Conference League. He also spent 18 months in Inter Milan’s youth setup, and is tipped for big things in his career.      

"Considering his young age, there's obviously room for improvement,” Ikola told For Fox Sake, "but he's already very mature and composed for his age.

"In short, he's a ball-playing centre-back with tremendous potential, and I wouldn't be surprised if he only spent a few years at Leicester before a big-money move to a bigger league."