Who Can We Sign This Summer?!

Who is on the cards that Leicester can sign this summer?! Article by Tom Shapland

This season for Leicester has been far from expectations, sitting in 15^th place in the Premier League and only 2 points off the relegation zone. With the season more or less written off now for the Foxes, it’s worth looking ahead to the summer transfer window to see how we can get back on track and be challenging for those European places again.

Since the start of last summer, Leicester have sold eight players for a combined £72.57 million and spent £42.79 million on 9 players, making a profit of £29.78 million. What we can do with this information is assume that we have a minimum of £30 million to spend in the summer window, and maybe the base £42 million that the club invested last summer as well, so around a £70 million budget.

If we look at the potential departures, it’s almost certain that Tielemans moves on for free in the summer, with Evans, Amartey, Soyuncu, Bertrand and Mendy looking to join him. As well as this Leicester will have to be attentive to the Tete situation as his contract with Shakhtar potentially comes back into play, depending on if the ruling is extended or not in Ukraine. So how can Leicester generate some money from departures? Well unfortunately, the only real answer is James Maddison. With only a year left on his contract, the midfielder’s situation could end up like another Tielemans saga if Leicester aren’t careful. Newcastle seem to be the frontrunners for Maddison and if Leicester hold out for a price of around £70 million, it could be revolutionary for the reinvestment desperately needed for their team. With a sale of £70 million on top of the original budget, it could leave the Foxes with a tasty £140 million to spend in the summer.

So where do they need to invest?

Goalkeeper

It’s no doubt that Ward is a solid goalkeeper but long-term Leicester need an authoritative figure leading the back line in the way Schmeichel did so well for so many years. Marco Carnesecchi has been on loan at Cremonese from Atalanta, after helping his loan side to promotion, the 22-year-old has cemented his place in the top division of Italian football, even grabbing an assist against Sassuolo at the weekend. The Italian has a market value of around £7 million and could be taken from Atalanta in the summer for around £10-£15 million. An alternative to this could be Brice Samba, former Forrest goalkeeper has helped Lens get into the top four of Ligue 1 so far this season, he adds experience and personality and could be targeted for around £15 million.

Centre back

With Evans and Amartey out of contract in the summer and Leicester still leaking goals, another centre back could help sure up the defence. Anel Ahmedhodzic has been playing for Sheffield United in the Championship and has been nothing short of immaculate at the back for them. The 23-year-old is strong in the air and wins his ground duels as well as being brilliant on the ball. The centre back has 4 goals and 2 assists in the League this season too, being vital in attacking set pieces for the Blades. He has played a number of European games for Malmo and has established himself on the international stage too for Bosnia-Herzegovina. A leader at the centre of defence could be a great addition for Leicester and is exactly what they need to sure up that defence. At around £20-25 million, Leicester could have a centre back for the next 10 years in Anel Ahmedhodzic.

Midfield

Leicester’s midfield trio of Ndidi, Tielemans and Maddison could well be coming to an end, with the two formers looking likely to leave. With Dewsbury-Hall starting to find his path in the side, Leicester could get away with signing just one starter as well as another cheaper player for depth.  Matheus Perreira is an interesting avenue to explore, the 26-year-old Brazilian had an amazing season for West Brom in the Premier League two seasons ago, scoring 11 and assisting 6, only two goal involvements fewer than Maddison’s total of last year. After a few years in Saudi Arabia, he may want a second go at the Premier League, and Leicester could snap him up for a realist price at around £10 million.

 Another option to bolster the midfield could be a Connor Gallagher loan. With Chelsea looking to clean their squad out, the midfielder could be looking for a way out. After a successful spell at Crystal Palace scoring 8 and assisting 3 In the League, the midfielder brings goals as well as relentless energy, something Leicester are crying out for. A loan with an option to buy at around £35-£40 million could be something Leicester look to do to cover the loss of Tielemans.

An alternative to this could be Florian Neuhaus. A tempo-controlling midfielder who has been struggling for form this season at M’gladbach. Before this season, Neuhaus chipped in with goals and assists but has been out of favour under manager Daniel Farke. The German could be gettable at around £25 million, albeit a slight risk.

Attack

Harvey Barnes, Iheanacho and Tete seems to be Leicester’s strongest attacking trio, but its simply not good enough. With that in mind, the Foxes need to add some competition in attacking areas, especially the wide areas. Pedro Goncalves is a Portuguese attacker who puts up outrageous numbers for Sporting. This season alone the 24-year-old has 12 goals and 6 assists in 22 games, and in 2020-21 scored 23 goals in 32 league appearances. An exciting attacker with proven numbers is something Leicester are crying out for. To get the attacker out of Sporting would cost around £40 million upwards, but the talent he would bring could be outrageous for Leicester.

 In out-and-out attack, a young striker to push Iheanacho on could be really useful for Leicester. Matias Arezo is a 20-year-old Uruguayan striker who is currently playing for Penarol in Uruguay (on loan from Granada). The striker broke out 2 seasons ago for River Plate, scoring 13 goals in 35 appearances and then 15 goals the following season. This season he has 6 goals in 5 games and is looking to be a real talent. If Leicester act quick, they could snap him up for under £10 million before Europe’s elite come knocking at his door.