5. After a desperate start to life as Leicester’s new manager in 1995, Martin O’Neill’s job was on the line as a disgruntled fan base, upset by the ignominious departures of his two predecessors Brian Little and Mark McGhee, turned against him as he couldn’t win a game to save his life. Promotion back to the Premier League looked very unlikely.
Little did we fans know that the new Leicester boss had already put the first parts of the jigsaw in place which would eventually lead to success, bringing two midfielders to Filbert Street. One was Neil Lennon, signed from Crewe for £750,000, the other was a little-known young player recruited from Chelsea reserves initially on loan. Muzzy Izzet is number five on our list of Leicester’s greatest midfielders.
Muzzy had a dreadful time at Stamford Bridge. As he recounts in his autobiography, Chelsea initially guaranteed him at least one year on a professional contract to lure him away from Charlton before later reneging on the promise. Luckily, his father had insisted that the offer be put in writing. Even so, his chances of making it in West London were non-existent, and when O’Neill came in for him Muzzy eagerly headed north down the M1