RY-T ON TIME Leicester complete shock loan signing of Wolves defender Ryan Bennett with £5m transfer option
NO-ONE was more surprised by Ryan Bennett’s unexpected move from Wolves to Leicester City than stunned Foxes boss Brendan Rodgers himself.
Posted Saturday, February 01, 2020 by Thesun.co.uk
He has been searching all season for an experienced defender to fill the vacancy left by Harry Maguire’s departure to Manchester United in the summer.
Bennett signs on an initial six-month loan deal Credit: Getty Images - Getty
But he never suspected Wolves would allow someone of Bennett’s experience to join a rival Premier League club chasing the same European qualifying aspirations as themselves.
However once Wolves confirmed they were willing to do business and Bennett was available, Rodgers pushed the button to sign the 29-year-old on loan until the end of the season – with the option of a permanent £5million move in the summer
The speed of the switch certainly shocked Wolves and Foxes fans, while Bennett confessed he didn’t have to think twice about joining a club currently occupying a Champions’ League qualifying place, sitting pretty in third place in the Premier League.
Speaking to LCFC TV, Bennett said: "It's great to be here. It's a massive club and the league table doesn't lie. The manager has taken the team to another level and the players deserve great credit too.
"The club is moving in a forward direction and it's really good to be part of it.
"I've experienced the atmosphere at King Power Stadium before with Wolves and with Norwich City. It's a great environment here and it's a journey I'm looking forward to."
The former Norwich City defender has made 19 appearances this season but has recently fallen out of Wolves’ starting line-up with the emergence of Leander Dendoncker, Romain Saiss and Max Kilman.
However Bennett provides the Premier League experience Rodgers has craved since Maguire’s move to United and the addition of Bennett gives him the option of playing with three at the back, alongside Jonny Evans and Caglar Soyuncu.
Leicester new arrival will have to wait a while for his debut as he was not registered in time to face Chelsea at King Power on Saturday, while Leicester’s next game is on Valentine’s Day against Wolves – who Bennett cannot face under the terms of his loan deal.
His signing was good news for Bristol City, who were able to sign Foxes' Croatian defender Filip Benkovic on loan.
Leicester were keen to give Benkovic more playing time and want to see how he develops at Ashton Gate.
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