The end of the 2017/18 Premier League season also meant the end of a Leicester City legend’s tenure at the club. Robert Huth, who spent three and a half seasons with the Foxes, will not be re-signed by the club. It is a bittersweet end to a man whose career in the East Midlands saw some of the greatest moments in the club’s 134 year history.
Robert Huth was a throwback to the centre-backs of old times. At a height of 6’ 3” and weighing 200 lbs, Huth was an intimidating and fearful presence on the pitch. His gritty and gutsy style of play elevated the Leicester defence when he joined the club in the winter of 2015. Off the pitch, he was a beloved leader by both players and fans alike. However, the big German had a long career before coming to the Foxes.
Life before Leicester City
The entirety of Huth’s senior career has been spent in England. His first eight seasons were with Chelsea and Middlesbrough, where he established himself as a promising young defender.
However, injuries plagued the German’s early years consistently, preventing him from becoming a first team player. It wasn’t until Middlesbrough’s relegation to the Championship and Huth’s transfer to Stoke City that he got to show his full potential.
Playing to potential
In August of 2009, Robert Huth signed with Stoke City. What followed was four strong seasons where the German played in 136 games and was named Stoke’s Player of the Year for the 2010/11 campaign.
His consistently strong performances established Huth as a vital piece to Stoke’s defence; however, knee injuries during the 2013/14 and 2014/15 seasons allowed Huth to play in only 13 games for the Potters across those two seasons.
Due to his injuries, Huth’s future at Stoke was in doubt. Because of this, the Potters loaned out the German for the rest of the season to Leicester Cituy on February 2, 2015.
Joining the faltering Foxes
During the 2014/15 season, Robert Huth only played one match for the Mark Hughes’ side. It was unlikely that he would make a lasting impact for the Foxes, but Huth’s arrival helped sparked what would later be known as “The Great Escape”.
When Huth joined Leicester City, a return to the Championship was very likely. After 24 matches, Leicester had only gained 17 points and were in the last place.
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Huth came in as a veteran presence and quickly established a strong relationship with fellow centre-back and Leicester Captain Wes Morgan. Nonetheless, Leicester’s struggles did not end overnight. In Huth’s first five appearances as a Fox, Leicester City lost three matches and drew twice.
With nine matches remaining and Leicester still in last, the Foxes needed a miracle. Amazingly, that miracle came, as a fantasy run of seven wins in nine matches saw Nigel Pearson’s side climb out of the relegation zone and survive for another season in the Premier League. It was during this run that Huth really made his name be known in the East Midlands.
The new partnership Huth made with Morgan was vital to Leicester’s survival. In the final nine matches of the season, the German and the Jamaican allowed seven goals, three of which came from champions Chelsea. Along with that, the defence earned five clean sheets. In only nine games, the Huth-led backline gained the same amount of clean sheets that Leicester City earned in the previous 29 matches.
With Premier League survival secured, Huth signed a permanent deal at the King Power Stadium in the June of 2015. The following season saw Huth be a crucial leader in one of the unlikeliest title-winning seasons in the sport’s history.
Living the fairytale
So much has been said and will be said about Leicester’s Premier League winning season. Nevertheless, the contributions of Robert Huth cannot be overlooked.
Huth’s injury problems of the past did not affect his performance during the 2015/16 season. The German appeared in 35 games for the Foxes, and the three games that he did not appear in were because of suspension, not injury.
With Robert Huth, the Foxes’ defence became an impenetrable force. After giving up 55 goals the season before, the Leicester backline conceded only 36 goals (joint-second with Arsenal). Further, they kept 15 clean sheets, including an incredible run wherein Leicester City did not concede a goal for five straight games.
Huth and the Leicester defence led the club to one of the greatest moments in the sport’s history. They won the Premier League title against all odds, and Robert Huth became the seventh player in Premier League history to win the title with two separate teams.
The final years as a Fox
The 2016/17 season was full of elation and disappointment. At 32, age had finally gotten to Huth. Though he made 33 appearances in the league and eight in the Champions League, the towering German had lost a step or two. Huth was still a solid player and an effective leader, but he was now a part of a defence that gave up 63 goals in the Premier League, as Leicester City finished in 12th place.
It was clear that Huth’s prime had come and passed. The German’s depleted skill, the meteoric rise of his replacement Harry Maguire, and the fact that an injury plagued 2017/18 campaign saw him only play for the U-23s squad meant that Huth’s tenure as a Fox was now coming to an end.
A bittersweet goodbye
No one wants to see a fan-favourite leave a club. A truly poetic ending would be for a player to play in one more final home game in front of the fans, but it will not be the case for Robert Huth. Yet, it may not be the end for his career. The big German will hopefully play for another club and end his career on his own terms.
As a Leicester City player, Robert Huth, in his 93 appearances, had 30 clean sheets, 90 tackles, 588 clearances, 167 interceptions, six goals, and one Premier League title. He helped the Foxes reach the UEFA Champions League quarter-finals and helped Leicester City become one of the richest clubs in the world.
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Robert “Big Sexy” Huth will always be a beloved legend in the East Midlands. His tenure with the club was remarkable. To quote the man himself: “It was unreal”.