Back in 2014, Leicester City were preparing for life back in the Premier League. Free transfers underpinned that summer transfer window and ten years on, we may expect the same. What’s the free transfer market like and who could the Foxes move for?
As a Premier League team, we voted to keep VAR, despite its lack of popularity among players and fans. Still, becoming eligible to vote signals our return to the big leagues, and the registration embargo should be eased. We can sign some players!
Assuming we know how much we can and cannot spend, have addressed the out-of-contract players, and have a manager in mind for our men’s, women’s, and men’s Under-21 teams. I hope Mr Rudkin wasn’t planned any vacations anytime soon; that’s a long to-do list.
When we previously returned to the Premier League in 2014, our summer transfer window was very little in terms of total investment but rather large in terms of body count. We can probably expect more of the same this year, unless the club decides to emulate Nigel Pearson’s favourite huge bird and continue spending regardless of the repercussions.
That summer, we spent £20 million to sign nine players. Half of that went to Leonardo Ulloa, while Andrej Kramaric received an additional £9 million in January. However, it was the free transfers that stood the test of time and dominated the headlines. Esteban Cambiasso and Marc Albrighton alone received two stars. Their paths varied, but their place in Leicester’s history is certain.
The other free agents were seasoned Mark Schwarzer and Matthew Upson, as well as Ben Hamer and Jack Barmby. That group had a more uneven record of performance, but it was less of an issue because we didn’t have to spend much money on them. We’ve had a good track record of free signings in the Premier League; the following year, we signed Christian Fuchs for nothing. It’s similar to how we got Harry Winks: letting a player feel wanted and required again can make a huge impact.
Our reasons for being more frugal in the summer of 2014 were very different from our position ten years later, but we should keep an eye on the available free transfers this year while everyone else falls in love at first sight at the Euros and inevitably finds £50 million in a drawer at the training ground despite complaining about a lack of money and financial constraints (looking at you, Manchester City).
We’ll need to act quickly because several of the more appealing deals have already been inked or are reportedly undergoing medicals.
Across the major European leagues, not just the Premier League, there are some reasonably appealing players out of contract who appear to be on the move. So, who should we target, who seems like a risk worth taking, and who can we simply dream about?
Slot them straight in.
File these athletes under categories that make sense for both us and them. On paper, they’d fit in well, and it doesn’t seem overly optimistic to believe that we could attract them. The only real uncertainty is whether our new manager, whose identity is unknown to us, would consider them as a good fit. Or whether the new CEO will have a voice in issues.
With Dennis Praet out and Wout Faes aiming to put himself in the shop window at the Euros, our Belgian quota appears to be a little empty. Michy Batshuayi appears to be leaving Fenerbahce and will be available on a free transfer to a number of clubs. The striker had an intriguing time in Turkey, but his most memorable moment was a spin-kick on a supporter who had entered the pitch.
Rangers are rumoured to be the top runners for his signing, but he may be a far cheaper option to Tammy Abraham, who we are supposed to be interested in. Batshuayi, 30, is not new to the Premier League, but he may fit in well with our two wingers.
After Alex Berenguer scored from a corner in the same week it was reported he’d be a free agent and was connected with us, you can see why we were firmly in the’sign him up now’ side. The Athletic Club Bilbao winger would be a valuable addition to the first-team wingers, bolstering that portion of the squad. Now it’s only a matter of making Leicester as appealing a place to live as Bilbao. We have…a clock tower. A King is buried here! Is the Guggenheim still winning?
Callum O’Hare is the obvious pick after finishing his Coventry deal. He may have been classified as a danger due to his injury history and need to step up, but based on how he played against us and his engagement with Coventry, he’s the closest free James Maddison replacement we can find.
Anyone looking for a Dane born in Marbella? Robert Skov will depart Hoffenheim after five years, allegedly seeking a fresh challenge. An experienced winger with a fantastic left foot, he might be a valuable addition to our squad, providing some experience to assist replace the likes of Marc Albrighton.
While adding some innovation to the club would be beneficial, we were also concerned about our defensive condition when evaluating the group. However, the market for centre backs who are out of contract and under the age of 30 is competitive. Lloyd Kelly would be an excellent fit, but with the other clubs interested in him, namely Newcastle and Roma, we are unlikely to have the pull and money.
If we wanted to make some backup plans, Paddy McNair is leaving Middlesbrough. At 29, he isn’t getting any younger, but he has enough of experience and is used to playing captain/leadership roles. He has not competed at the highest level, but he is accustomed to the style of play we established this season.
Risky business.
While everyone expects Agent Cannon to talk Sammie Szmodics up at the Republic of Ireland camp, there are a handful of players out of contract who could be useful. If we can exert some control over the pay we offer and contract term, they may be worth the risk or be good squad players.
What if we were the club to rehabilitate Ryan Sessegnon? Tottenham have called it quits, which is unfortunate. He will earn another contract, but it is a tremendous risk. There is a fantastic player if you are willing to take the risk of only seeing it occasionally. If he was intelligent, he’d look at our injury record and run a mile; we’re probably not the club to help him recover.
Che Adams: It’s worth buying him merely to avoid hearing his name followed by “was rejected by boyhood club, Leicester City” before he scores against us. Is he of Premier League quality? Unclear. And we may not be able to take a chance on another striker until we have secured Jamie Vardy’s contract.
Pape Gueye is scheduled to leave Marseille; this falls into the risk category partly because controversy tends to follow him, from a punishment for a previous transfer to irritating his present team by running out his contract. Still, if we do need another midfielder, he’s only 26, and we enjoy shopping in France. Before this season and Ndidi’s turnaround, he would have made an outstanding replacement.
If we are looking for young players to groom and build around, we could consider David Affengruber. The 22-year-old centre back just won the Austrian Bundesliga with Sturm Graz, but they have yet to secure his services for next season. It’s early days, and Austria is considerably different from the Premier League. Sturm Graz also has the advantage of Champions League qualifying, although this links in neatly with the following group of players.
Don’t be afraid to dream larger, dear.
Okay, we left it too late to try to deceive Kylian Mbappe into joining Leicester for a fraction of his salary, but there are some other names on the list who seem a little ambitious for us in our current situation. But, hey, if you don’t ask, you don’t receive. Circumstance will play a major role.
Unless Kristiansen returns, we could use an actual left-back. Real Betis have released Juan Miranda, who is still only 24 years old. Putting him in this category since practically every other Premier League club appears to be interested, and it’s probably too late.
Luka Jovic had a choice of teams in 2019 when he left Eintracht Frankfurt for Real Madrid. In retrospect, it was a disaster, and he has struggled to reach the same heights since, having played for three different clubs in the last three years. AC Milan has yet to commit to making his loan more permanent.
It appears that he requires the appropriate club and manager to guide him. He’s still only 26, so he’s an intriguing prospect. Okay, it would be a long shot, and he’d most likely use us as a stepping stone to attempt to entice a bigger move, but if you could obtain even three-quarters of the player he had in Germany, you’d have a great time. It feels the least practical of the options, but why not dream big?
If we pursued Tosin Adarabioyo, we’d be competing against Enzo Maresca. Chelsea appears to have a contract in place as of this writing. Tosin is to Fulham what Youri Tielemans was to us, never signing a new contract after the club turned down the opportunity to make money from him the previous season.
Crystal Palace has an Oliver Glasner advantage in their pursuit of Daichi Kamada, given the two have previously worked together. The 27-year-old was released by Lazio and would make a terrific addition to any team’s midfield.
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