Leicester City Season Preview

Leicester City will want to put last season behind them as quickly as possible. The Foxes finished 13th in the league, dropping from 2nd the season before!
On top of that the U21 team failed to win a youth trophy for the first time in 3 seasons after losing in the semi final.
The senior team lost 2 more semi finals too, leaving the season trophyless.

The offseason has seen a couple of key areas addressed, with a slight pivot away from a full youth focus after their youth dominance came to an end, and long time captain Florian Wirtz became ineligible after turning 22.

Key Additions

There have been 2 key additions to the squad this season, both in positions which have been tough to fill for some time.
Goalkeeper has long been an issue for the Foxes. It looked like Aaron Ramsdale would be the long term option, but the Englishman’s form dropped off and he was sold, leaving a void held by short term option Péter Gulácsi with a host of younger options vying for the position in the long term. But both the short and long term solutions have been found in the same player, Giorgi Mamardashvili.
The Georgian joined Leicester from Sporting CP following their relegation. He started all but 1 game in the last 4 seasons quickly becoming one of the most sought after shot stoppers in the world. He immediately takes the number one spot, with Gulácsi already departing the club after losing the role.
This was not the first time that Mamardashvili has been to Leicester though. 4 years ago Earle was one of several clubs trying to sign the then 20-year-old, and even gave the player a tour of the training grounds and stadium. But it was not to be, as he picked Bordeaux, and has since played for Malaga, AC Milan and of course Sporting.
Fans were sad to see Aleksandar Pavlović move in exchange, but rumours had been swirling that the 21-year-old was unsatisfied with his lack of opportunities and so the move took care of two birds with one stone.

The second key addition was Lucas Digne who made the move back to Division 1 from the bottom of the footballing world, with his exact role unclear. Jurrien Timber held the left back role last season with Éder Militão and Aurélien Tchouaméni deployed at right back and centre back respectively. Through adding Digne, the option came to move Timber, Militão and Tchouaméni to more natural positions, or continue with last seasons formula depending on which tactic was preferred. That was until Militão came to Earle and let him know that he would no longer play at right back, seeing as an alternative option was now available.
Digne was quick to express his excitement after joining the club, after suffering at AZ last season as the club finished last in Division 5.
“It is crazy to be training again at a proper club! At AZ it seems like the club had no plan, the manager didn’t know what to do, and I don’t even know when we last won. I feel like I have escaped the worst situation around! All I can say is good luck to those new arrivals there, although I suppose it cannot get any worse than 20 points in 21 games…”
Many noted their shock at the low cost of the defender for a position historically tough to fill!
It was also suggested that Earle discussed sending Gulácsi to AZ, but the German said he would rather retire than be sold there.

Depth and Cover

Last season, injury cover was near non existent, with Pavlovic stepping in to cover most positions when needed. This took it’s toll when 2 or more players were out with injury or suspension and the quality of the team dropped.
This season significant depth additions have been made, spearheaded by Pablo Gavi, who played in every league game last season. The 21-year-old will continue to pick up a lot of opportunities, but will need to fight back to a starting spot, if he stays at the club.
Alexandre Lacazette was another big name addition adding depth in attack. The Frenchman has netted 71 goals in the past 5 seasons at PSG, with a further 36 assists. He will hope he can keep up that form, although his starting opportunities will be reduced.
Tyler Adams also joined, filling the gap left left by Pavlovic. At 26, he still has a lot of time on his side, and he showed his quality last season, netting 5 goals from midfield for Club Brugge.
Mario Götze, Miguel Almirón and Joaquin Correa also joined the Foxes to add depth to the midfield and attack, whilst brining in some experience to help guide the youngster in the squad.
In defence, Ricardo Mangas was brought in to add depth at left back, whilst Souffian El Karouani has already been confirmed to be returning after he accidentally boarded a plane to Stuttgart after a drunken night out.

Still to Come

Whilst most of the clubs business is done, there are still options being explored.
Pablo Gavi has expressed slight concern at prospectively losing his starting spot, and has attracted offers from several clubs as a result.
The 21-year-old is in Earle’s short and long term plans though, so will remain at the club unless a strong offer comes in.
Filip Jorgensen was also rumoured to be disappointed with the arrival of Mamardashvili, which has blocked his long term path to the number 1 position. As a result, the club has sanctioned a loan move to Shakhtar for the coming season to get more game time and aide his development.
Leicester are also one of several clubs who have tracked the availability of Lautaro Martinez ahead of the new season. The Argentine is said to be furious with his situation at Hellas Verona and is desperate to leave. Rumours suggest that he has a room at the stadium as the club are fearful that the striker might run away if he gets the chance! Despite his unhappiness at the club, it not stopped him from showing up to collect his 4 consecutive Division 1 winners medals! And if he were to leave, he would have to accept that any club he goes to will be a downgrade from Hellas. Despite their interest, it looks unlikely that Leicester will be able to meet his valuation.

The staring XI looks all but set to go for the new season and will spend the next few friendlies building fitness and tactical familiarity.