Leicester City fought hard to sign Bilal El Khannouss from KRC Genk towards the end of the summer window.
The Foxes made multiple bids, and the 20-year-old forced a move by reportedly refusing to train with the Belgian club. They eventually gave up and accepted selling him to the Premier League side on August 29th.
El Khannouss spent five years at Genk before arriving at Leicester. Wednesday’s edition of Het Belang van Limburg has published an interview with his mother, Karima Ben Aissa, who is also his agent.
She explained what convinced the Morocco international to pick Steve Cooper’s side.
“Because they count on Bilal and give him playing time. That is very important for us. He should be able to accumulate a lot of playing minutes for two reasons,” she said.
“Firstly, football is his job, and secondly, it is also important for the Moroccan national team. After all, they only select players who get a lot of playing minutes at their club.”
The attacking midfielder is yet to enjoy regular game time at the Premier League side. He’s clocked in 79 minutes from three league appearances. His mother remains confident the youngster will soon get more opportunities at his new club.
“But normally he will make more minutes. The coach and the management are counting on him. They say he’s doing well in training. He still has to adapt to a new competition and a new life,” Karima Ben Aissa explained.
Leicester City are currently 16th in the table with six points after seven games. They are four points behind 10th placed Nottingham Forest and eight behind Chelsea, who are in fourth spot.
El Khannouss’ ambition is for Cooper’s side to finish in the top 10 this season.
“His goal is to score more and be more decisive. That was another of his weaker points at Genk. Moreover, he wants to do his best to have the team finish in the top 10 of the standings at the end of the season,” the agent added.
