Our first look at the promoted clubs begins with Championship winners Leicester City. Nigel Pearson’s side secured their route into the top-flight with six games to spare and ended the campaign with 102 points – nine ahead of their nearest challengers, Burnley:
As a lifetime Leicester fan, I’ve looked back at The Foxes’ impressive season and cast an eye over my expectations for 2014/15.
The Statistics
| P | W | D | L | F | A | GD | P | CS | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total | 46 | 31 | 9 | 6 | 83 | 43 | +40 | 102 | 18 |
| Home | 23 | 17 | 4 | 2 | 46 | 22 | +24 | 55 | 9 |
| Away | 23 | 14 | 5 | 4 | 37 | 21 | +16 | 47 | 9 |
CS = Clean sheets
Leicester return to the top-flight off the back of a season that saw them impress at both ends of the pitch. A total of 83 goals scored was the second highest, whilst 43 against was the third most resilient in the Championship. In front of their own fans, Pearson’s side racked up 46 goals, netting more than twice on seven occasions, in addition to delivering nine clean sheets, with 22 strikes against.
Their defensive record was remarkably similar on the road. Pearson’s defence was breached on 22 occasions and chalked up nine clean sheets on their travels – at the other ends of the pitch, they notched 37 times and scored more than twice on just three occasions. The Championship winners showed plenty of resilience as the season unfolded and won all of their final four fixtures without conceding a single goal.
The Manager
The former Sheffield Wednesday and Middlesbrough defender began his trade on the touchline as an assistant manager at West Brom, Newcastle and for the England Under-21 set-up before his first job in the hot-seat saw him handed a rolling contract in charge of Southampton.
Despite securing his side’s Championship survival on the final day of the season, Pearson was allowed to leave and was snapped up by Leicester, after the club dropped into League One under the stewardship of Ian Holloway. His impact was immediate, with Pearson overseeing the club’s promotion by delivering the title, with 96 points accrued – he then steered the club to fifth place in the Championship before losing a play-off contest against Cardiff but machinations behind the scenes by then-chairman Milan Mandaric resulted in Pearson moving to Hull City, who had just been relegated from the Premier League.
The Tigers consolidated in their first season under Pearson and finished in 11th place but midway through his second year, Leicester’s new owners persuaded the manager to return to the club. Over the following season and a half, Pearson made it his task to rid the club of many of the expensive and unwanted players that had been accumulated in the relatively short period he was away. Leicester could only finish in ninth place at the end of his first year back.
Despite a terrible run of form at the end of the 2012/13 season, Pearson guided his team into the play-offs on the final day of the season only for another penalty mishap to cause more heartache for the Foxes – this time at the hands of Watford. This time around, however, he wasn’t to be denied.
The manager himself is a pretty reserved individual (many would say dour) and won’t be one to excite the Premier League press pack all too much. He’ll more than likely frustrate them. He says things as he sees them but is far from a candid individual as he likes to keep his cards relatively close to his chest and the peaks and troughs on the bell curve of his emotions can be found awfully close to one another.
Leicester earned promotion having utilised a comparatively small squad. Pearson had a favoured starting XI (almost always employed in a 4-4-2 formation) and stuck to a core group of players whenever he could. However, the fact that the club did start their season off in a 3-5-2 set-up – which proved so-so in effect – shows that Pearson, as he acknowledges, won’t be afraid to try something a little different:
“I don’t see any reason to go into it with anything but an upbeat mentality. We have to find a way to win games in that league. (Is simply surviving a success?) Not for me it is not, no. We have a responsibility and a duty of care to try to win every game we can but I also recognise, moving forward now that we are promoted, that we are not going to dominate games in the Premier League in the way we have dominated games this season. We have to have a plan B and C. We have had that this season as it happens.”
The Promoted Squad
Kasper Schmeichel (46 apps) given that his contract runs out at the end of the season, fans of the club have more than one reason to be ecstatic to be back in the Premier League. With top tier football on the cards, Leicester should be able to retain the services of their best player over the last few years and be all the better for it.
Paul Konchesky (31 appearances, 1 goals, 1 assist) signed from Liverpool back when Leicester were first splashing the cash under the stewardship of Sven-Goran Eriksson. He has more than handled himself at the Championship level but at 33 years of age likely won’t be around too much longer. Having been handed a (heavily reduced) one-year contract extension in January, his Premier League experience is worth keeping around but it’s questionable as to whether he’ll be starting.
Jeffrey Schlupp (26 apps, 1 goals, 1 assist) a jack of all trades who can find himself deployed at left-back, left midfield or even up front (potential out of position candidate to watch for if Leicester ever call on him in that regard) on any given day so is very handy to have around. Having featured in just two of the last six, though, Schlupp – who started only 15 of the 46 matches – looks far from nailed-on.
Ritchie de Laet (36 apps, 2 goals, 5 assists) the right-back hasn’t put a foot wrong since signing for City a couple of seasons ago. His most recent season had been hampered by injury in the early stages but whenever he has been fit to play the former Manchester United man has been first choice without any question.
Wes Morgan (45 apps, 2 goals) the rock at the centre of the Leicester defence and as team captain it will be hard to see anyone else leading out the club on their first day back in the Premier League. It’s no more than he deserves and his performances this season have shown exactly why the club have rejected Nottingham Forest’s attempts trying to tempt him back in recent transfer windows.
Liam Moore (30 apps, 1 goal, 1 assist) the best young talent in the Leicester squad, Moore fell out of favour as the season unfolded and started just five of the final 19 fixtures. It seems likely that Pearson will be looking to partner Morgan with a new centre-back next season, with Moore being bred to replace the Leicester captain in the long-term.
Marcin Wasilewski (31 apps) signed in September of 2013 after the season had already began, the Poland international has been a model professional filling in the gaps whenever and wherever the club have been short. With ample experience under his belt (more than 50 caps for Poland) he deserves to be given another contract and kept around but probably won’t be a starter next season either once squad numbers are boosted.
Danny Drinkwater (45 apps, 7 goals, 5 assists) Drinkwater has been the engine that kept Leicester chugging along all season and his nomination for Championship player of the season speaks volumes to that. In terms of style of play, Yaya Toure provides a good comparison – i.e. he crops up with more goals than one would expect from someone with ample defensive responsibility and is coolness personified under pressure. Drinkwater also has a share of corners and indirect free-kicks to further his points potential.
Matty James (35 apps, 1 goal, 5 assists) a solid player with a calm head and the gift of a good pass, there are reservations as to whether Pearson will look to upgrade to a newer, shinier (and probably tougher) option to stand ground alongside Drinkwater in the Premier League. Has a share of corners to boost his appeal.
Anthony Knockaert (42 apps, 5 goals, 7 assists) a real raw talent, the young Frenchman’s spirited displays can sometimes be to his own detriment as he can be prone to picking up an unnecessary yellow card. Missed only four matches and was virtually nailed-on as Pearson’s preferred right winger but Knockaert was continually afflicted by his manager’s penchant for second-half substitutions – only 16 times did he managed the full 90 minutes. Nonetheless, given that he’s first-choice for free-kicks and corners, he’s worthy of our attention.
Andy King (30 apps, 4 goals, 2 assists) a mainstay of Pearson’s first era , King has become an incredibly useful back-up this season as Leicester found themselves settling in on a favoured starting line-up. In all likelihood, he’ll be far down the pecking order behind Drinkwater, James and any new signings made in central midfield and is unlikely to offer us regular minutes.
Riyad Mahrez (19 apps, 3 goals, 5 assists) snapped up in the January transfer window, the Algerian winger was looking like a squad filler until an injury to Lloyd Dyer afforded him the chance to nail down a regular role. Predominantly left-footed, Mahrez is versatile enough to be fielded on either flank but his slight frame suggests he could be bullied by full-backs in the Premier League –toughening up will be required over the summer but he has that certain “je ne sais quoi” that could see him become very popular with Fantasy managers if he can cement a starting berth.
Lloyd Dyer (40 apps, 7 goals, 8 assists) one of Pearson’s earliest signings during his first stint at the club, Dyer has been a firm favourite of the manager ever since. A winger in the classic sense of the word, his pace helped him chalk up a respectable attacking contribution but a step up to the top-flight suggests the veteran may be utilised as an impact sub towards the end of games more often this time around. Indeed, he may well be poised to leave after apparently turning down a new one-year deal.
David Nugent (46 apps, 20 goals, 12 assists) picked up on a free transfer when his time at Portsmouth came to a close, Nugent has been Leicester’s striker of choice since arriving. His experienced head will be invaluable back in the Premier League – coming off his most prolific season to date, aided by a sizeable number of penalties and assists, Nugent is approaching the prime of his career and could be a valid cheap third forward if priced favourably across the Fantasy games.
Jamie Vardy (37 apps, 16 goals, 10 assists) signed for £1m from non-league Fleetwood Town two years ago, Vardy had what can only be described as a less than impressive first season at the King Power Stadium. His recent record shows that he managed to turn things around greatly in the season just gone with more goals from open play for Leicester than any other player this season. It’s perhaps telling that he featured just once in the last seven matches, though – a suggestion he will likely struggle to secure a starting role, with partner in crime Nugent – one of the few squad members with Premier League experience – ahead of him in the queue.
Chris Wood (26 apps, 4 goals, 5 assists) a succession of niggling injuries and the blossoming partnership of Nugent and Vardy has left the New Zealand striker on the outside looking in. Wood has turned in some solid performances whenever called upon and should be kept around to provide a different long-ball outlet, but given that he featured in the first XI on seven occasions last time around, it’s fair to say he’ll be a back-up player at best.
Potential Targets
Given that only 15 players started 10 or more games across the season, Pearson will be looking to upgrade in a number of areas and increase the squad size so as not to get caught out if and when things go awry on the injury table or elsewhere. The Foxes boss – who has not spent more than £1.2m on a player for the club – discussed his plans for the future late last month:
“Our scouting network has been fundamental to our success. It’s always been a huge part of how we work and that won’t change. Recruitment is the most important thing in developing a side – but you’ve also got to operate in the right markets. We won’t be able to compete with the top clubs but what we have to do is make sure anyone we bring in is the right person. It has been a long time coming, getting Premier League status, and there has been an awful lot of groundwork done. I’m not going to put a number on how many are coming in. I don’t think you will be hearing publicly that there will be a certain amount to spend. We will continue to do the business in the way we always do it, and strengthen the side if and when we can.”
Leicester have three robust centre-backs in Morgan, Moore and Wasilewski, so signing an athletic fourth seems an absolute must – the current crop can do their job but up against the pace of the Premier League’s best they are likely to struggle. Elsewhere in defence, getting a second right-back onto the City books will also be key to rounding out numbers and someone like Kyle Naughton (who previously had a successful year on loan at the club) would be the kind of realistic target a team like Leicester can aim for. Young Chilean Stefano Magnasco – currently plying his trade for Dutch outfit FC Groningen – has been recently linked with a move.
At least one more competitive central midfielder and another who can play out wide also seems likely. The club have already been linked with Kris Commons, Robert Snodgrass and Villa’s Marc Albrighton, who is out of contract at the end of the season.
Strengthening up front also seems a priority. Given that Nugent can just as easily play off the front man, a new face will surely be essential – already, a move for Leeds United’s Ross McCormack has been rumoured, with Leicester also reportedly interested in Brighton forward Leonardo Ulloa.
Despite the numerous transfer rumours (and reports today of a £180m transfer budget,) the purchases of Knockaert and Mahrez – relative unknowns to most until their capture –perhaps emphasises Pearson’s approach. Assistant manager Steve Walsh was Chelsea’s European Scout during Jose Mourinho’s first stint at the club and was believed to have played a significant part in bringing the likes of Didier Drogba and Michael Essien to the club – his knowledge of the market is likely to prove significant in the Foxes summer shopping plans.
