Leicester City have confirmed today that highly regarded 32-year old central midfielder Dean Hammond has signed a new one year extension at the club.
Experience is key in the Premier League
Hammond's cool headed and no prisoner approach has won over the Leicester City faithful since his move from Southampton in 2013, therefore it comes as no surprise that the popular midfielder has been offered an extension.
Hammond is one of the more experienced midfielders in the Leicester squad, whilst experience at the top level - especially for a new Premier League team - is vital. The role that Esteban Cambiasso played at Leicester last season only backs this up - without his experience and quality, the Foxes may have found themselves in the Championship next season.
Leicester have a fairly youthful midfield with the likes of Danny Drinkwater, Andy King and Matty James all featuring consistently for Leicester. However, with Matty James potentially out for the first part of the season with a cruciate knee ligament injury, the addition of Hammond appears to be all the more important.
Will Hammond have a big part to play next season?
The 32-year old only featured in 12 matches last season, compared to his 32 appearances the season before. However, he was second best to the likes of Cambiasso - whose future still remains ambiguous.
If the Argentine is to leave then, Hammond could potentially be a starter next season for the Foxes, and if not he will certainly play a bigger part than in the last campaign if a replacement for Cambiasso is not found.
Leicester City have now retained the services of three key players, as Marcin Wasilewski and Jeffrey Schlupp have both signed contract extensions recently as well as Hammond.
Huge task ahead for Leicester
Following the sacking of Nigel Pearson, it's still unclear as to who will take over from the Englishman. Bolton's Neil Lennon and Burnley's Sean Dyche are the early favourites for the job.