Leicester City have endured a chaotic summer transfer window, with rumours flying around about some of their key players, and Wesley Fofana forcing a move to Chelsea which he was eventually granted late on. There have been few whispers of potential incomings due to financial constraints, and it’s only after the £70million has landed that concrete speculation around potential signings has hit, in the shape of Wout Faes and Jeremie Boga.
All of this talk is bound to unsettle the dressing room, and a battered squad morale has surely had an adverse affect on the club’s performances, with the Daily Mail reporting on Tuesday that Rodgers believes that there is a lack of stability at the King Power. Speaking in his press conference ahead of tonight’s fixture against Manchester United, the Northern Irishman admitted that an environment must be stable for players to improve, and that this is not something the club currently possesses.
Rodgers has also stated recently that he was surprised to come back for pre-season to be told how little money there was to spend on reinforcements, with it quickly becoming apparent that any new arrivals would likely be reliant on existing players being sold or loaned out. Hamza Choudhury has been lent to Watford, but Dennis Praet and Boubakary Soumare, who were seemingly surplus to requirements, remain on the wage bill.
Despite the dreary connotations of what was said, the Foxes manager did appear to shift the tone to be slightly more optimistic about the future:
"“Our stability is not there. That will change when the window closes. “We have talented players but it doesn’t count for anything if it’s not done collectively. “When the window closes, it should settle down.”"
Whether the instability remains after midnight tonight depends on what, if any deals go through before the end of the window, with rumours of a Youri Tielemans departure refusing to go away. The Belgian midfielder is just one of seven first team players whose contracts expire at the end of this season, so sorting these squad members’ futures resolved must be a priority to restore some calmness among the ranks.
Also out of contract next summer are the two current starting centre backs and Caglar Soyuncu, along with Ayoze Perez, Ryan Bertrand and Nampalys Mendy. Choudhury has signed a year’s extension beyond his Watford loan, and this could be an option for a number of these assets to consolidate what the club has with the financial squeeze it is currently experiencing.
Much of the lack in stability could be attributed to the behaviour of Wesley Fofana, but the Frenchman’s persistence to force a late move only compounded the existing pressures created by the rising wage demands and reduction in saleable assets.
If Tielemans also departs today without a replacement being recruited, this could spell real danger for the East Midlands outfit and panic could soon set in around the club’s Premier League season projection. Many football pundits and former players have expressed doubts around the manager’s commitment to Leicester City, likening his comments to those of Scott Parker, even suggesting that it wouldn’t be the worst thing for Brendan Rodgers to be relieved of his duties.
While there are elements of truth to this theory, the simple fact is that it’s unlikely that the club’s ownership could afford to pay the manager off and also bring in a suitable replacement who would command high wages. Rodgers is a man of principle and integrity, who values honesty, and is somebody who is unlikely to stick around if he feels he is being taken for a fool.
However, the heavily rewarding contract he negotiated not long after his arrival from Celtic is surely far too much of a financial incentive for him to walk away from, no matter how tough it gets. If you’d like to read some transfer rumours and news on this deadline day, please click this link to go to Foxes of Leicester’s specialist sections. Thank you.