Perhaps the most consequential transfer window the King Power Club has ever taken part in has just come to a close. No new permanent purchases from other sides, and no more money to rake in, as most markets have closed. The Foxes have what they have.
The character of Leicester's transfer window
Russell Martin's squad has altered immensely from when he inherited it. Heck, there have been considerable changes to the starting XI itself, with players such as Oliver Skipp leaving and new signings losing their starting spots in favour of academy starlets. This window was a cleanout.
20 senior players departed the club either on loan or sold - with at least one more to follow - and a plethora of academy products have also left the side as the Foxes look to refocus on building something they lack: a spine. Martin's Foxes are nowhere close to the team he inherited.
Brought in is a mix of two types of players: long-term projects and experienced fighters. We heard it a bunch when Brendan Rodgers was our head coach: we need 'mentality'. Cultivating the right mentality in the squad is genuinely vital to our chances, and our previous senior team was lacking in more ways than I could ever have possibly imagined. Their heads would drop at the first sign of trouble, their confidence was endlessly shattered, and none of them understood how to actually fight for every point and every ball.
That is where the 14 signings of this window come into play. Conor Chaplin, Wes Burns, Liam Cullen, Emil Riis, John Lundstram, Warren O'Hora, and Alex McCarthy (sort of) represent that focus on bringing in experienced players with an understanding of this level and the struggle it will take. Each of them is a good player who performed well for their team, having chosen to make Leicester their home over other options.
Permanent signings like Ilari Kangasniemi and Admir Bristric are long-term choices to bring fight from another route: an energetic core. These players, alongside the loanees (especially three Brighton & Hove Albion players), were brought in to ensure we have the pace, hunger, and willingness to challenge necessary to compete at this level. Sometimes, you need a spark, and players such as Harry Howell and Will Alves could be that spark.
Is it really enough?
Pragmatically, the answer is obviously no. We now have several older players on medium-term contracts whose longevity and quality at this level. Whether Burns and Chaplin can perform consistently for Martin could change the performances and results which ought to follow: if Chaplin is incessantly injured and the winger is unable to find the final pass, we are in no better position than we were.
Even with so much deadwood and issues gone, Leicester City remain vulnerable. We saw in the first three matches how easily we can be countered when that spark is not present, despite having experience in the team. From Harry Souttar to Bobby De Cordova-Reid, simply having experience does not guarantee better results than having the glittering - but wasteful - performances of Abdul Fatawu. In fact, this can easily backfire.
Russell Martin's tactics require possessive domination, retaining the ball in the opposition's final third while recycling the ball around until eventually a clear-cut chance opens. Death by football. However, can a bunch of 27-30 year-olds keep that intensity and be creative enough within that to make those slim chances count? We have already seen that if our front line includes De Cordova-Reid, we are wasteful; if it includes Burns, we do not get the creativity; if it includes Bristric, we do not have the finishing, even if we have the movement and creativity.
The promotions and starting spots for Louis Page, Sammy Braybrooke, Alves, and Jayden Joseph will make a huge impact, much more than any of these transfers will make during the season. The first four matches have seen these players shine, offering the spark of creativity and intent to see the task through, even if their now-experienced colleagues are unable to make chances count. We can only hope the Danish striker Riis is able to start converting, that Howell can remain uninjured in his starting spot, and that the King Power side's decision to focus on experience will turn performances into results.
There are huge expectations on Martin and King Power. We chose a head coach whose football philosophy is better placed in higher divisions, where our opponents will play more openly, and have implemented a system which relies on neatness in possession and creativity in attack. We have started to see some signs of progression, and it is better than last season, but that does not mean this makeover is a fix to Leicester's central problem: having no spine. Perhaps, though, the academy promotions will have more impact than any 28-year-old signing could hope to.
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