Whenever a transfer target’s name is mentioned at a press conference, it is done so in the slim hope that a manager might discuss them, rather than an expectation. The standard response is “no comment” or a variant of.
But at Leicester City last week, there was the rare case of a manager being willing to discuss the man they hoped to sign. It may have only been a few sentences, but Enzo Maresca made clear that Stefano Sensi is the midfielder he wants.
So what do we know about the Italian international? Why might Maresca want him? What position would he play? Are there any issues to be aware of? Here’s the lowdown on the man Maresca hopes will be City’s by the end of the month.
While City are keen, they cannot sign Sensi just yet because they need to sell players in order to drum up the cash. With just a few months left on his contract at Inter Milan, and with the midfielder not really featuring that often, he won’t cost much. But even a small fee isn’t affordable for City at the moment, bearing in mind they also have to consider his wages.
Maresca feels time is ticking because while City are not able to move for the 28-year-old, other clubs could be readying offers for him and stealing in. So far, there’s no sign of that. No other club’s name has cropped up as a contender for Sensi’s signature and he was in the Inter Milan squad at the weekend, suggesting he’s not on the verge of a move anywhere yet.
Where would Sensi play?
It’s hard to imagine someone of Sensi’s pedigree coming to City to sit on the bench. And there is an obvious spot for him in the starting line-up now Wilfred Ndidi is injured until April. That should mean that if he does arrive before the end of the month, he will be slotting in on the right of the two number eight positions, forming a midfield trio with Harry Winks and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall.
Across his career, Sensi has been utilised in a number of midfield roles, sometimes behind the striker, sometimes sitting deep, or sometimes going from box-to-box. His range of passing means that he would also be a strong candidate to cover for Winks should the former Tottenham man be injured or suspended. That’s particularly helpful with Hamza Choudhury covering for both Winks and Ricardo Pereira at the moment.
What would Sensi bring?
For a start, he’s an excellent technician. With the amount of possession Maresca likes his teams to have, players, and in particular midfielders, who are extremely tidy on the ball are paramount. Sensi is definitely that.
Then it’s about what he does once in possession, and his passing ability is top notch. Last season while on loan at Monza, he ranked third in Serie A for progressive passes per 90 minutes and fourth in the division for passes into the final third per 90 minutes. When it comes to moving the ball through the lines into attacking areas, he is one of the best around.
Maresca would perhaps want him to provide more goals and assists than he has in recent years. In his first year at Inter in 2019-20, he played further forward and contributed with three goals and four assists in his first six matches. But that year was his most injury-hit, and not only did he not add to that tally in the rest of that season, but he hasn’t been getting on the scoresheet as often in recent years either. Since then, he’s scored four goals in 75 Serie A matches.
Why him and not somebody else?
He’s a player Maresca knows, and because of the Roberto De Zerbi connection, he can be confident he is one that will adapt quickly to how City play. Being an Italian international, he was always going to be on Maresca’s radar, but it’s who he’s played for that really makes him stand out.
It was his campaign at Sassuolo in 2018-19 under De Zerbi that earned Sensi his move to Inter Milan. Maresca and De Zerbi have been friends for 30 years since they were in AC Milan’s academy together and not only do they trust each other wholly, they have similar ideas about football. If Sensi can shine under De Zerbi, then Maresca he should be able to do the same under him.
