Leicester City have a series of players with expiring contracts in the coming couple of years. Let’s see who should be kept and who we allow to leave.
Over the next couple of years, Leicester City will have to make some tough decisions about player contracts. As reported by LeicestershireLive, several key players are coming up for renewal, or they will leave the club for free.
So, in this article, we are going to look at the next three seasons and who we will be losing player by player. Let’s see who the club should offer new contracts to, or sell now to get some value back.
Leicester City’s next season
Next season, the Foxes will be losing club legends and reliable workhorses; three of those we know will be going almost no matter what.
Eldin Jakupovic will certainly not have his contract renewed. He is a backup goalkeeper who’s only appearances have been on the bench for Europa League matches. His last start for the club was – hold the record – 13th May 2018. 3 years ago, in a 5-4 loss to Tottenham in the Premier League.
Another who will be handing in the kit shall be club legend Christian Fuchs. The left-back/left-centre-back has been a stalwart example of what the club is about. Dignified, strong, hard-working, and versatile. He will be spiritually missed, but on the pitch, multiple youth prospects are ready to replace him.
Matty James, the 29-year-old midfielder who’s time at Leicester was abruptly cut short due to injury with his last appearance coming 22nd February 2020, in a 0-1 defeat to Manchester City. His contract should be allowed to expire, so he might join a Championship side and play regular football.
Club captain Wes Morgan, who allegedly broke lockdown rules to go to a party at Ayoze Perez’s house, will not have his contract extended. A new era starts when he leaves, and a new club captain – hopefully Youri Tielemans – is selected to lead a youthful and energetic squad.
Someone who should be kept is Sidnei Tavares. The youthful prospect showed his class in the 1-2 win over Brighton & Hove Albion 6th March 2021. He nearly scored a screamer, were it not for the heroics of Robert Sanchez for the Seagulls. Give him a four year deal!
The Foxes will need to replace Morgan, Fuchs, and Jakupovic. There are plenty of youthful players ready to take the leap: Filip Benkovic (currently on loan at OH Leuven), Shane Flynn, and Jakub Stolarczyk or Daniel Iversen come to mind.
The 2022/23 Leicester City season
During this season, club legends, backups, a youthful prospect, and our second-in-line goalkeeper will either leave or stay with a renewed contract.
On the subject of our second goalie, Danny Ward has been fine when called upon by the club, and is still ‘young’ in goalkeeper terms at 27. This does make him a seasoned ‘keeper, and he has plenty of quality in distribution – better than Kasper Schmeichel in this regard – though his positioning has let him down as a ‘shotstopper’.
I expect he will choose not to renew a contract himself, though the club should offer him a renewal. The Foxes would be without a second-choice goalie of proven quality, and would have to rely upon Iversen or Stolarczyk to take the reins.
Daniel Amartey is a more complicated discussion. Let’s be frank, he has actually been pretty consistent for the club since his return from injury. Called upon as a member of a back three more often than not, and as a backup in absence of Caglar Soyuncu or Wesley Fofana, there is a degree of admiration for Amartey.
Due to his hard work and the importance of an experienced and balanced option for our world-class defence, I’d recommend giving him a two-year extension to his contract until the very youthful Ben Nelson has an opportunity to take his place in the squad.
The next two are wingers. Rachid Ghezzal – currently out on loan at Beşiktaş in Turkey – and legend Marc Albrighton will both leave in the near-future. Albrighton is currently 31, while Ghezzal is currently 28. If neither transfer away before then, they will be 33 and 30 respectively.
Ghezzal will leave this summer. No doubt his loan move will become permanent. He has found goalscoring form in Turkey, and is unlikely to make the cut if even Cengiz Under does not meet Brendan Rodgers‘ high standards.
I should like to say that I have been impressed with Ghezzal on loan, and he has gained that goal scoring intent he lacked during his time at the King Power. I would like to see him here next season.
Albrighton has been an excellent servant, and has shown himself to be the James Milner of Leicester City this season. Playing on the left, the right, in midfield, and as a wing-back. His high work rate and technical improvement under Rodgers is staggering. Nevertheless, the Foxes will have better options by this point, so he should not be given an extension unless it is a one-year deal.
Khanya Leshabela is a shoe-in for a new contract in the near-future. There is no doubt in my mind that the versatile attacker – who has played as a winger, an attacking midfielder, and a right winger – will be in going out on loan shortly to aid his development. He will then prove himself, get a four-year contract, and be in the Foxes squad in three years time.
First team departs
In the 23/24 season, a whole swathe of senior team players’ contracts shall expire, including club legends.
Kasper Schmeichel and Jamie Vardy will be the last remaining vestiges of the league-winning team. Their contracts should be left to expire. Both will be ancient in footballing terms by this point. Only consider extending Schmeichel’s contract if we cannot sign a long-term, high-quality, replacement.
The club legends should be asked to stay on as coaches or executives at the club for their dedication, loyalty, and class they displayed throughout their long and impressive tenures with Leicester City.
Now then, onto the critical players who will still be senior first team players by this season. Ricardo Pereira, Jonny Evans, Caglar Soyuncu, and Youri Tielemans. On top of Hamza Choudhury, Papy Mendy, Ayoze Perez, and Filip Benkovic.
The critical players need new, impressive contracts to keep them at the club. Bar one exception. Jonny Evans will be too old to continue as a first team central defender. By this point, Wesley Fofana and Caglar Soyuncu will likely makeup the central defensive partnership.
Benkovic will likely leave permanently before this point, though I would like to see him stay and eventually join the senior team properly, any new signings to replace either Wes Morgan or Evans would leave him in the cold.
The defensive midfielders will not be needed. Leicester City is inundated with too many, and though both have been impressive this season. Mendy is more consistent and better positionally than Choudhury, while Choudhury is a bit more aggressive and creative. If forced to keep one as backup, I’d keep Choudhury as he is still young and has plenty of potential to improve.
Once more though, the rumoured signing of Boubakary Soumaré would leave both massively out in the cold. Both would probably be forced out due to the shear quality of Soumare.
All in all then, in the next few seasons, there will be tough choices to make, and legends will have to leave. Any new signings for strikers, attacking midfielders, or wingers could dictate who stays and who goes. What can be said is that the Foxes need to sort out the critical players with long-term contracts fairly soon or risk losing them.