Leicester City need four big transfers with team spine about to be dismantled

It’s not to discount the importance of full-backs and wingers, but a settled spine of reliable, consistent performers feels integral to a team’s success. Therein lies Leicester City’s problem as they head into the summer transfer window and the new Championship season. When City were relegated two seasons ago, plenty of their star names left the club, but they still had the core of a decent side.

It meant that in their regular 11, only two of the seven players in their spine were summer signings. Mads Hermansen in goal and Harry Winks in midfield made a big impact, but they joined a group of players who were already at the club. Wout Faes and Jannik Vestergaard started at centre-back nearly every match, while Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall and Wilfred Ndidi were regulars in midfield.



Jamie Vardy was the usual striker. When Ricardo Pereira moved infield from right-back to join the spine, it gave City another player who was already at the club. This summer, it seems every position down the spine will need a refresh.

At full-back and on the wing, City look like they will have an abundance of options, but down the middle there are holes to fill. In goal, three of the four senior goalkeepers at City could leave. Danny Ward and Daniel Iversen are out of contract while Mads Hermansen, as one the most valuable assets at the club, could be sold if a big bidder comes forward.

However, the one goalkeeper who will remain, Jakub Stolarczyk, looks like he may be ready to become the club’s number one. At centre-back, it’s not out of the question that most if not all of the current senior options depart. There’s been talk for months over Wout Faes leaving, while Caleb Okoli has been regularly linked with a move back to Italy.

Conor Coady only has one year left on his contract and while Jannik Vestergaard has two, it’s not certain that he will remain, especially if Ruud van Nistelrooy remains in charge. The big positive is that Ben Nelson’s loan spell with Oxford looks like it has helped him get ready to be a City starter, and so that covers one position at the heart of the defence. In midfield, speculation over the future of Wilfred Ndidi and Boubakary Soumare has already begun, while Harry Winks is out of the fold and is entering the final 12 months of his deal.

Oliver Skipp will stick around though and should possess the quality to be a starter. Four years ago, aged 20, his performances on loan at Norwich from Tottenham earned him a place in the Championship team of the year. Further forward, the two most-used number 10 options this term have been loanee Facundo Buonanotte and then Bilal El Khannouss, who, like Hermansen, is a valuable asset, the sort of player who can generate a decent transfer fee.

Then up front, Jamie Vardy is leaving. Finding a striker is a difficult, expensive task at the best of times. At City, they have to bring in a forward who is in some way capable of filling the boots of the greatest player in the club’s history.

Of those seven starting positions down the spine, it feels like City have the players to fill three at most. Those other four won't be cheap or easy to fill. This is going to be a much bigger rebuild job than two summers ago.

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