Alex Smithies’ and Jakub Stolarczyk’s Leicester City futures

It has been a slow start for Leicester City in the transfer window. They were the only club in the Premier League to not make a signing this summer – until now.

Reports have come out suggesting the Foxes are to sign 32-year-old Alex Smithies from Cardiff City on a free transfer. Smithies will now be the fourth goalkeeper on the roster. Despite being the oldest and most experienced goalkeeper on the roster, the stopper has never played a game in the Premier League.

LCFC is not looking to sign a new starting goalkeeper to replace the legendary Kasper Schmeichel. Rather they’re interested in signing a cheaper third option so prospect Jakub Stolarczyk can spend the season out on loan and gain experience. Smithies now comes in to sit behind Danny Ward and Daniel Iversen.

Smithies first started his career with Huddersfield Town, playing there for nine seasons and helping secure promotion from League One to the EFL Championship. He then spent the next six seasons between QPR and most recently, Cardiff City. Last season, Smithies kept five clean sheets in his 29 appearances. Overall he’s kept 105 clean sheets in his 443 appearances.

It is highly unlikely that Smithies will get much first-team action with LCFC – if any. But this free transfer highly benefits 21-year-old Stolarczyk. Stolarczyk spent the last season temporarily at Dunfermline Atheltic FC. The Scottish Championship side was ninth in the league last season, just two points away from relegation. The Pole did not play a ton as he only made eleven appearances. The East Midlands team hope to loan him out to see more of what he can do and mature him.

Stolarczyk has made some appearances for Leicester’s Premier League Two side; he’s made 27 appearances in the league yet was only able to produce two clean sheets for the squad. This coming spell could arguably be Stolarcyk’s last chance to prove himself to Brendan Rodgers, even at his age.