Transfer Window Rating… So Far!

THE SUMMER TRANSFER RANKING (SO FAR)

The summer transfer window is always the most hectic part of the season for clubs and the most exciting for fans. So far, Leicester City have been active in the market, with the departures of big names such as Maddison and Barnes and new arrivals such as Winks and Coady being the first to join Marasca’s new-look Leicester. We are going to be taking a look at all the new additions to the team so far this summer as well as the outgoings, giving them an overall rating and looking into what lies ahead for the remainder of the transfer window.

Outgoings:

James Madison (5/10)

Starting with probably the most painful of all, James Madison. 203 games, 55 goals and 41 assists in all competitions for Leicester in his 5-year tenure. Last season Madison was without doubt Leicester’s best player, putting up 10 goals and 9 assists in 30 games in our relegation season. The creative spark of the team and the player the others looked towards to create something out of nothing, there’s no doubt that Madison is capable of and deserves to be playing at the top level of English football. At 26 years old, he’s still got so much time to grow and develop his game, whilst also being experienced enough to be a polished player for a top 6 team. Now at Tottenham, Leicester received a reported £39.78 million for the playmaker, a bargain for Tottenham but with all things considered, such as relegation and having 1 year left on his contract, around £40 million for Leicester is probably fair. I would rate this transfer a 5/10. I don’t think he had millions of suiters except maybe Newcastle so getting £40 million for a player with 1 year on their contract is good but it shouldn’t have ever got to that point, probably around £20 million under his market value and probably around £50 million under Leicester’s evaluation of his worth to them, overall a tough pill to swallow.

Harvey Barnes (7/10)

Next up is Barnes, a mainstay in the successful era of Brendan Rodgers’ Leicester and a consistent Premier League level winger. Barnes put up 13 goals and 1 assist last season in the Premier League and along side Maddison, gave the Foxes a fighting chance up until the very last moment. A move to Newcastle for a fee of £38.7 million sees the winger remain in the Premier League for another season to showcase his talents. 25 now and no longer a young winger, Barnes has developed into a Premier League level player that could perform in any top 6 side. Barnes has added goals to his game as well as the ability to track back, he definitely has the potential to explode in the right circumstances which makes his perfectly suited to Eddie Howe’s high intensity, organised system. As for Leicester, I think this is a small win. Ideally, you’d love to keep a player like that but at the same time, that’s what comes with relegation and a fee of almost £40 million for Barnes is very good value, I would rate this a 7/10.

Contract’s expired:

Tielemans (1/10)

Bought from Monaco in 2019 for £32 million, Tielemans is a deep lying playmaker who has been an integral part of Leicester’s recent history, yes, I’m talking about his rocket in the 2021 FA Cup final. Still only 26, Tielemans established himself in the core of Leicester’s midfield alongside Madison and Ndidi, for now the second of those three to leave, and for free! Tielemans made it clear he has wanted a move for several years, with Arsenal being the club mostly linked with the player so letting his contract run down and not cashing in when they had the chance has to be looked at as an awful piece of business from the foxes. Tielemans has since joined Villa, so a loss for all parties concerned.  1 out of 10.

Soyuncu (3/10)

Touted as Harry Maguire’s successor, Soyuncu’s start to his time at Leicester was monstrous. A courageous centre back who challenged for everything but then suddenly to one that seemed to lose his way along the road. The last year or so for Soyuncu has been difficult, he’s massively underperformed and dropped out of a team that had no centre backs as it was. A strange one for fans to understand as everyone knows that there is a player in there but sometimes these things happen and it’s better for everyone to move on, only it would’ve been sensible for Leicester to sell him for a fee rather than letting another player’s contract expire. I’m sure everyone at the club is keeping an eye on Atletico Madrid and hoping he finds his form again elsewhere.  

Amartey (4/10)

A loyal servant and managed to play a lot last year, Amartey really didn’t have the level to play at Premier League level and frustrated fans, wages off the books and a fresh start in Turkey, an amicable win for all.

Evans (3/10)

Another player lost on a free. Evans would have been a good player to have around some of the youngsters in the Championship, a great defender but the injuries mean that the manager can’t really plan their season with him in mind, a great player at Leicester and an outstanding professional throughout his career, sad to see him go.

Mendy (5/10)

A poor transfer from start to end really, with it being obvious from the get-go that he didn’t have the level to play at the club, it’s fair to say he should’ve been gone a while back. Now without a club, it doesn’t surprise me why that is…

Perez (4/10)

Yet another discarded without a fee. Perez really didn’t work at Leicester and was probably bought in poor judgement off the back of his purple patch for Newcastle. He will go down as one of the many who have failed to nail down that right wing spot at Leicester, wages off the books but after signing him for £30m, it has to go down as a 2/10.

Bertrand (7/10)

£78k a week! That’s all I really have to say about Bertrand’s time at Leicester, maybe the most forgettable player in the club’s recent history, thank god him and his astronomical wages have gone.

Hirst (6/10)

Maybe one that Leicester fans aren’t too familiar with. A talented striker who spent last year on loan at Ipswich Town, cementing down their striker position for the final push of their season. Hirst joined Ipswich on a permanent for £1.5 million this summer. Sad to see him go to a direct Championship rival but at least the Foxes got a fee this time.

Incomings:

Manager- Enzo Maresca (5/10)

From Pontecagnano Faiano, Italy, Vincenzo Maresca is a 43-year-old former midfielder who played for the likes of Sevilla, Juventus and Fiorentina. For most of his managerial career, Maresca has been a number two, being so at the likes of Sevilla, West Ham and most recently, Manchester City under Pep Guardiola. He did have a stint at number one with Parma in 2021 but was sacked after failing to gain promotion before returning to Man City to replace Juanma Lillo. With a lack of real in-depth information or case studies to draw from, it’s quite hard to rate this signing and I’m going to try not to jump on the ‘he was Pep’s assistant’ bandwagon as he only worked with him for a year. Looking at it objectively, Maresca has had a fairly decent spell being an assistant manager in his 6-year career but has failed when he had the chance to be number one. Taking such a risk on such an unproven manager surely means Leicester know something that we as don’t and hopefully they aren’t just trying to be football hipsters.

Winks (8/10)

Now 27, Harry Winks’ career has been fluctuant to say the least. Winks spent a lot of time sporadically playing for Tottenham, having spells of playing a lot as well as considerable time on the bench too. He failed to really nail down a starting spot and should have probably left a lot sooner than he did. He spent last year on loan at Sampdoria which he played 20 league games for the now Serie B side. Despite his ups and downs, in the Championship, Winks could be very useful. He has a great sense of awareness and good technical ability as well as vision from a deep role (remind you of anyone?). It’s clear that Winks has been signed to replace Tielemans in midfield and to be honest, I quite like It. They both have similar profiles in terms of their orchestration of play, whilst Winks’ level may be lower than Tielemans, he makes up for it in his work rate. With all things considered and for a fee of £9.97 million, I would rate this signing an 8/10.

Coady (9/10)

Conor Coady is an excellent signing for Leicester. Former captain of Wolves in their successful run in the Premier League, Coady has proved himself to be a leader at the highest level. Still only 30, it feels like Coady has been around for years, his experience and leadership at the back is what Leicester have been crying out for and should add an invaluable level of security at the back. Coady was also captain of the Wolves team who came up from the Championship, so he knows the league well which is something the squad may currently lack. There’s a definitive reason why Southgate has taken him to 2 major tournaments with England, his leadership qualities are unmatched. For £7.47m, I think this is another excellent signing, 9/10.

Hermansen (7/10)

Another Danish keeper? I see you Leicester. Hermansen for those of you who don’t know is a 23-year-old keeper who has been the number 1 for Danish side Brondby for the last 2 seasons. The words ‘goalkeeper’ and ‘signing’ are two words all Leicester fans want to be hearing. The club seem to be finally addressing the points of concern in defence, midfield and now in goal, it just makes you wonder, what took so long? Hermansen is renowned for his shot stopping and being a specialist at penalties. As well as, of course, his ‘ball playing skills’.  A young keeper with experience playing as a first choice is crucial and overall, another great signing, 7/10.

Callum Doyle (9/10)

Another centre back! You’re spoiling us now. Doyle is a 19-year-old centre back who spent last season on loan at Coventry, playing 44 league games for them. He also spent the season before on loan at Sunderland when they were promoted from League One. Being just 19 and starting 2 full seasons for 2 clubs in 2 successful campaigns is the sign of an absolute gem, and that’s what this boy is, an absolute gem. Not to mention he was also part of the England u19 team that won the EURO’s. Yes, it’s only a loan and I should probably calm down, but I think this may just be the signing of the summer for Leicester. Maresca has clearly been using his Man City phone book to call this favour in, and what a favour it is, I would rate this signing a 9/10.

Stephy Mavididi (7/10)

A strong, young and ready to go replacement to Harvey Barnes on the left side of the wing. Mavididi was signed on a 5-year deal from Montpellier who has been in and around European Football since leaving Arsenal’s Academy back in 2018 to join Italian giants Juventus. Since then he signed for Ligue 1 side Montpellier in 2020, becoming a regular starter on the Left-Wing! He is now back in England after a long 5 years, ready to get going and help bring The Foxes back to the Premier League, I would rate this signing a 7/10 as a decent signing with obvious financial limitations for Leicester this season.

Rumours:

In

Casadei (9/10)

A box-to-box midfielder who Chelsea signed with plans for him in the future but in terms of immediate first team football, he won’t get it there. 7 goals in 7 games from midfield for Italy u20s in their World Cup campaign, he has also looked really exciting in Chelsea’s pre-season. This kid could be the real deal one day and if Leicester could have him for a year to develop, that could be very exciting for all those involved.

Joel Piroe (7/10)

19 goals and 2 assists for Swansea last year in the Championship, the 23-year-old looks like a proven Championship player, and potentially has a right to stake his claim at a higher level but with Vardy fading out, this could be some real fire power to add to what seems to be a more solid defence and midfield. I would say this is definitely the next area of concern Leicester need to address and Piroe could be a solid shout for around £15 million.

Out

Pereira (7/10)

OGC Nice are reportedly interested in the 29-year-old full-back and it would be quite sad for all Leicester fans to say goodbye to a man who once showed what an absolute talent he is. When Pereira first landed at Leicester, he was sensational and one of the best full backs in the Premier League without doubt. Unfortunately, devastating injuries have taken a toll on the players time at Leicester and with him now being 29 and unlikely to want to play in the Championship (although that could’ve been really fun) it makes sense to get some sort of fee for him. I would say £10-15 million would be fair and useful capitol to reinvest in the attack/winger areas.

Overall ranking

Overall, I would rate Leicester’s summer transfer window a 6/10. There have been some heartbreaking losses in the likes of Madison, Barnes and Tielemans but also some tidy signings that can help us build for the future. With there still being some time to go in the window Leicester still have time to reinvest some of their sales money to ensure that the squad is ready to compete for promotion. I would say that the defence and midfield is fairy well covered now but the wide areas and maybe a creative spark to fill Madison’s hole could see Leicester have a very successful transfer window.