When Leicester City made a decision to sign Andrei Kramaric, they had Leo Ulloa, Jamie Vardy and David Nugent as front men alternatives, but Nigel Pearson didn’t see the full potential of that trio.
David Nugent might have been a bit on the way out of the picture, but Leo Ulloa and Jamie Vardy both played to their full potential in the next months to come with Andrei Kramaric not getting a chance to prove himself, firstly under Nigel and later under Claudio Ranieri who had seen enough and first send him on loan and later sold him.
So why was it that Kramaric never really reached his peak at Leicester City and could they have kept him instead of splashing the cash on Musa and Slimani, and later Iheanacho, without getting the reward we all believed would happen.
Some said that Kramaric was more suited for life in Bundesliga, probably not as quick as you have to be up front in a Premier League side, but then against the top players of the World he managed to get himself all the way to the final and play in it as well.
The problem at Leicester City might not have been Kramaric himself, but just the fact that Jamie Vardy decided to grab his chance and the style of play Leicester City decided to play, but in a way wouldn’t the Croatian have filled the Okazaki role in a splended way and been the perfect alternative from the bench, a role Leo Ulloa filled so well during that 15/16 season.
After leaving Leicester City, Kramaric became an instant hit at Hoffenheim, scoring goals on delivery and also doing the same in the national team, being part of a unit that makes it possible for a nation of only four million people to reach the World Cup final.
So far it’s been a great life for Andrej after leaving Leicester City, scoring 56 goals in 154 league games for Hoffenheim. In total he has netted 13 in his 46 games for Croatia. Never the less and with 100% certainty he never fulfilled his potential at Leicester City, was never really given a chance and must be seen as a real “Guys in Disguise” as his time at Leicester City cannot be described as a “highlight” in his career.
A lot has been said and written about Claudio Ranieri, but he never managed to get the best out of this fellow, who we all know and for always will be seen as a player in the World Cup final, and did at after leaving Leicester City.
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