How Leicester City navigates this period is of immense importance. Considering the aspects of PSR and what could end up being punitive sanctions against the club, it becomes that much more important for LCFC to be smart in how they go about their business.
An example from recent memory that is worth revisiting is that of Harry Maguire. Looking at things right now, the £80m deal looks like excellent work from the Foxes. The value of players can change, of course. Currently the defender is closer to the range of £11m.
In fact, during the earlier days when Ruud van Nistelrooy joined the club, there were slight grumblings of Maguire returning to the East Midlands.
Certainly when he left, he went about things the right way, and City were able to have honest dealings surrounding the player's eventual move to Manchester United. That is something that cannot always be said. Just ask Liverpool and Trent Alexander-Arnold. Considering what his price is at right now, especially if it drops more, a reunion wouldn't be necessarily dismissed out of hand.
More importantly, analyzing how he left the Foxes to begin with can speak to the future business of the club. Granted, he was not an academy product, but the principle is still the same. Maguire was a highly talented and sought-after player with potential.
Smaller clubs often lose out when the bigger clubs come knocking at the door. That is the nature of the sport. That does not mean that City should be too overeager to sell players or looking to deal anyone and everyone, even in the current difficult juncture of the club.
Potential seen while Maguire was at Leicester
Take former England international Paul Gascoigne, for example. While living in the area at the time, he saw the potential of Maguire. As shared by esportsinsider.com, in an interview with the longtime Premier League player, he recalled:
"When I was living in Leicester, Harry Maguire was playing for them. He was outstanding, I thought. So I shook his hand. I said, ‘You are gonna go places.'"
Talent does have a price on it. Everyone ultimately has a certain value within the market. Replacing the departing talent, however, can oftentimes prove to be more tricky.
In the case of Maguire, it made sense at the time to see him leave for that amount. Except in the case of similar such sums, the Foxes should exercise caution before moving on from players who currently have a similar profile to that of Maguire in 2019.
Someone like Jeremy Monga could end up similarly being sold, even right now, for a lot of money. Missing out on the prime years of a high-caliber athlete is something that money cannot replace.