An early look at how Leicester City’s summer transfer window could pan out, with contracts and sales to sort before thinking about getting players through the door. Even without a manager, Leicester City should consider creating a roster to compete in the Premier League. A new guy in the hot seat is the priority, but they cannot overlook the other important matter. Forget about transfers while they look for the ideal manager, and they will fall behind their rivals and maybe miss out on summer objectives. Both tasks must be completed together.
An early look at how Leicester City’s summer transfer window could pan out, with contracts and sales to sort before thinking about getting players through the door. Even without a manager, Leicester City should consider creating a roster to compete in the Premier League. A new guy in the hot seat is the priority, but they cannot overlook the other important matter. Forget about transfers while they look for the ideal manager, and they will fall behind their rivals and maybe miss out on summer objectives. Both tasks must be completed together.
Who could stay, and who could leave? City provided clarity on the condition of their team on Friday, stating that Jamie Vardy and Jannik Vestergaard had signed new contracts with the club while also confirming that Marc Albrighton, Dennis Praet, and Kelechi Iheanacho would be leaving. The only question mark now is if Wilfred Ndidi will agree to extend his stay.
With contracts generally settled, the focus shifts to sales. The EFL imposed a transfer embargo on City because they were suspected of violating Profit and Sustainability guidelines (PSR), and selling may be their only option for balancing the books before the end of the accounting term on June 30.
It’s unclear how much profit City must make to comply with the restrictions, but the necessity to unload players puts their top players at risk. Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall is easily the most profitable player in the club, and Maresca anticipated Premier League interest in him. Mads Hermansen, James Justin, and Wout Faes could also be targeted, perhaps generating large fees that can be recorded as profits.
When Maresca was in command, it was easy to spot players who were surplus to needs. However, while Danny Ward, Daniel Iversen, Harry Souttar, Victor Kristiansen, Luke Thomas, and Boubakary Soumare appeared to be on their way out under the previous manager, their futures are now uncertain, as the new manager may identify traits in them that could help his methods. Where City will seek to strengthen When it comes to upgrading the squad, it appears that the midfield will require the greatest attention. City are down to just one advanced midfielder after Praet left, Yunus Akgun did not return from his loan term, and Ndidi’s future is uncertain, and Dewsbury-Hall is not guaranteed to stay.
Even if the incoming manager does not use the same setup, City will want a pair of forward-thinking midfielders. Because, even if Ndidi stays, it is possible that he may revert to a defensive role now that City is performing better. It would be extremely beneficial if Will Alves shown in pre-season that he is capable of at least serving as a backup in that part of the game, but Premier League quality feels like a requirement. Given the characteristics required to be a top-tier offensive midfielder, that is likely to be City’s most costly signing this summer.
One deal that City is expecting to finalize is for Abdul Fatawu. He is set to make his permanent move from Sporting Lisbon for roughly £14.5 million, but another new winger would be useful, providing more competition for the Ghanaian, Stephy Mavididi, and Kasey McAteer. A left-footed defender would have been high on Maresca’s wishlist, given Callum Doyle’s return to Manchester City, but that may no longer be an issue. In reality, with Ricardo Pereira, Justin, Kristiansen, Thomas, and Hamza Choudhury at full-back and Vestergaard, Faes, Souttar, Conor Coady, and Ben Nelson at centre-back, City has a strong defensive lineup. The question will be if Premier League-level acquisitions are required.
That’s exactly what happened at the beginning. City has three strikers: Vardy, Patson Daka, and Tom Cannon. Nowadays, very few managers play with two up top, therefore a trio of strikers should enough. But who is good enough to lead the line on a regular basis and fire City to survival? That is a major decision that the club must make. Because acquiring a new striker will be quite costly.
