Hero is drooling over Leander, initially (4)
I believe the answer is:
idol
'hero' is the definition.
(thesaurus)
'is drooling over leander initially' is the wordplay.
'initially' indicates taking the first letters.
The first letters of 'is drooling over leander' is 'IDOL'.
(Other definitions for idol that I've seen before include "Heathen god" , "Image of a god (not icon)" , "Graven image or worshipped person" , "Subject of adoration, may be graven" , "A graven image, or a hero" .)