Leicester City have completed the signing of creative midfielder Bilal El Khannouss from Belgian club Genk for a fee in the region of £21m. The youngster has penned a four-year deal with the newly promoted Premier League side.
Bilal El Khannouss won the Belgian Pro League’s Young Player of the Season award in the 2023/24 season for his exploits with Genk, where he registered three goals and six assists in 37 league appearances. He was also part of the Morocco squad that bagged the Bronze medal at the Olympic games in Paris, France, earlier this summer.
The Belgium-born talent, who also represented Morocco at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar as they surprised the onlookers by reaching the semi-finals, moved to Genk from Anderlecht in 2022. The 20-year-old made 51 appearances across all competitions for Genk last season, catching the eye with his performances in the hole behind the striker.
“I’m very happy. Leicester City is a big Club in England and it’s always a dream for a young guy like me to play in the Premier League so I’m very excited and I hope to achieve big things here,” El Khannouss told Leicester City’s official website.
“I talked with the Manager, and I immediately had a good feeling with the Club. I’m really excited to meet my team-mates, to make great things with them and I hope win a lot of games too.”
Having become one of the most exciting talents in Belgium’s top-flight football, Leicester City would be delighted to have signed El Khannouss for a paltry fee of around £21m.
Leicester City’s priority lies in securing top-flight safety
Leicester City won the Championship title under Enzo Maresca and subsequently secured promotion to the top flight in May. However, the club lost Maresca to Chelsea when the West London club came calling for his signature, and the Foxes appointed Steve Cooper to replace the Italian.
While the appointment didn’t go down well in certain sections of the fanbase due to Steve Cooper previously managing bitter rivals Nottingham Forest, it is a safe bet from the Leicester City owners due to the Englishman’s nous and experience of Premier League football.
Upon arriving at the King Power Stadium, Cooper’s first and foremost priority will be to help the club maintain its top-flight status. In addition, he will be keen to play an exciting, attacking brand of football to entertain the fans whilst promoting young talents—which he has done throughout his managerial career.
The Foxes haven’t had a great start to the 2024/25 season, picking up just a point from two games. Next up is the Midlands derby against Unai Emery’s Aston Villa and Cooper’s side will be desperate to get their first win of the new campaign.
I am Rohan Sengupta from one of the busiest cities in India, Mumbai. A Journalism graduate with a keen interest in sports, football is something I simply cannot live without and writing, discussing and analyzing the game is what I do 24*7.
