Rarely has a loaned-out Leicester City player attracted as much interest as Will Alves has at Cardiff.
After Alves showed his potential with his impressive dribbling and footwork for the academy, after he made his senior City debut aged 16, and after he suffered a serious injury as he neared his breakthrough, fans are desperate for him to succeed.
With City supporters feeling glum over this season’s relegation battle and with many already looking ahead to a campaign in the Championship next term, Alves’ performances have garnered a lot of attention in the hope that he can take his place in the squad.
To find out how the teenage attacking midfielder is getting on, LeicestershireLive spoke to WalesOnline’s Cardiff City correspondent Glen Williams about his progress in the Welsh capital so far.
What about Alves' game has impressed you?
GW: “I want to say ‘everything’, but appreciate that's probably not the answer you're looking for. In all seriousness, he's impressed me every time I've seen him.
His dribbling, close control and spatial awareness are all impressive traits. He rarely loses the ball, which is rare for a winger who trades on trying to beat people by taking risks.
It's a shame he picked up a little injury midway through his time with Cardiff because I suspect he would have had a say in turning one or two games around.”
What does he still need to work on?
GW: “If I'm nit-picking – and I would be nit-picking here – perhaps just that clinical edge in front of goal.
Against Blackburn last weekend, he did brilliantly to round the goalkeeper, but you could almost feel that he had rarely been in that situation and his finishing instincts didn't seem particularly natural. He allowed Aynsley Pears to get back into a position to save his shot, whereas he should have found the back of the net.
“It's a good thing he atoned for that by sticking a lovely cross on top of Yakou Meite's head for the winner, then!”
He's played on the left wing and on the right. Where has he looked the bigger threat?
GW: “It really seems to make no difference to him. He's unfazed wherever he's been asked to play. He has a lovely, whipped cross on him and can use that to great effect on either flank.
“On the right, against Plymouth, he swept a lovely, low cross across the face of goal for Yousef Salech to slide on to for the opener.
“Against Blackburn, off the left, he checked back on to his right and clipped an inviting cross for Meite to glance into the far corner.
“Perhaps on the left he is marginally stronger, simply because he seems slightly more comfortable dribbling it inside and outside the full-back on that flank. On the right he definitely prefers skirting past the left-back on his outside.”
Is there anything about his game that's surprised you?
GW: “Just how easily he has taken to Championship football. I appreciate Leicester fans were excited about him and hyping him before the move, but my expectations were relatively low given his age, inexperience at senior level and the 'unknown' factor, but he has superseded my expectations.
“Even his calmness with the ball and his ability to ride defenders, who are famously sharp-elbowed at this level, given his comparatively light frame is impressive. Put it this way, he's not had a bad game yet.”
Based on what you've seen, do you think he could start for a team challenging for Championship promotion next season?
GW: “I see no reason why not. He would at least be well in the conversation. Expectations are higher for teams challenging at the other end of the table, so the margins for error will likely be smaller, but this spell in south Wales will have done him a world of good.
“He has eight games to help Cardiff stay in this division and if he can grab a goal or two, or set another couple up, it will catapult him to the forefront of the Leicester boss's mind for next season, I suspect.”
Should Alves be in City starting line-up next season? Click HERE to have your say.
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