Harry Winks has won over Leicester fans and become their most valuable player
When James Maddison completed his £40 million move to Tottenham in late June, the departure of Harry Winks a few days later slipped under the radar.
Winks moved to Leicester in a separate £10m deal, ending an association with Spurs that had spanned over two decades since joining the club’s academy at the age of five.
The early responses to Winks’ arrival were rather mixed it is fair to say and, with Leicester’s fans still in mutinous mood after relegation, the midfielder was regarded by some as an underwhelming signing.
Fast forward to the FA Cup quarter-final with Chelsea this weekend and Winks returns to London as Leicester’s MVP, one of the undisputed stars of the Championship season.
Mauricio Pochettino, his former Tottenham manager now at Chelsea, once compared him to Barcelona’s legendary midfield technicians Andres Iniesta and Xavi.
With a remarkable pass completion rate of almost 95 per cent, Winks has proved indispensable for Leicester’s head coach Enzo Maresca.
Averaging almost 89 passes a match, he is the brain behind Leicester’s title charge. Maresca describes him as “my eyes on the pitch”.
Without Winks in the team, Maresca does not believe Leicester would be anywhere near as effective.
There has been a recent wobble in results, with Winks also struggling, but there is little doubt that his experience will be invaluable at Stamford Bridge on Sunday.
A playmaker who sits deep as a holding midfielder, Winks has provided a timely reminder of why he has 10 England caps and was once backed to become an international star.
He is arguably best remembered at Tottenham for his stellar performance against Real Madrid at the Bernabeu in the Champions League, over six years ago.
“When I arrived in the summer, signing Harry was my priority,” Maresca told Telegraph Sport. “I knew that with the way we wanted to play he was the main guy. With a different idea of football, he is very good.
“There are players that need the right manager to show how good they are. I think Harry did very well with Pochettino, but struggled with Antonio Conte and [Jose] Mourinho.
“Hopefully he can continue to grow with us. Without him, everything this season would be impossible.”
Winks is the ultimate definition of “low maintenance” and his professionalism has reminded some Leicester staff of Youri Tielemans, who left in the summer.
Tottenham insiders observed that Winks is a player who thrives on responsibility, and he has flourished under the demands of being one of the main men for Leicester.
It was only a few years ago that he suffered the deep freeze treatment from Mourinho, Nuno Espirito Santo and Conte. With his Tottenham career appearing over, he joined Sampdoria on loan last season hoping for a fresh start.
It was not an easy time. He did not make his debut until January after sustaining a serious ankle injury at the start of the campaign, while he was unable to help save Sampdoria from relegation.
Winks barely spoke to Ange Postecoglou, the new Tottenham manager, during pre-season and when Maresca made a personal call, his exit was inevitable.
The 28-year-old has played in all but one of Leicester’s 37 Championship games this season, and is a genuine contender to be named as player of the year.
On and off the field, he is proving a huge influence. In the 2-0 win over Norwich in September, he managed a 100 per cent success rate from 83 passes.
It is that deadly effectiveness and laser precision that makes Leicester’s ‘No, 8’ so great.
Sunday may be a diversion from the main aim of promotion for the 2021 FA Cup winners, but Winks will have a point to prove: and nobody knows his game better than Pochettino.
