The King Power side has myriad high potential youth stars who could impact the future of the Foxes should or Championship head coach choose to bring them into the fold, or to give them the game time they need to develop elsewhere. It is hard to truly predict the future career of any footballer, but there are some which seemed destined to either start for the Foxes, or to exit for a fee.
In 2021, I had written an article identifying players I had believed were promising for the Seagrave youth side. Most of those are either on-loan, departed permanently, or remain locked in the youth side. Interestingly, I would still place some of the same players in the list I am making today, with the notable exceptions of one of my favourite stars Tawanda Maswanhise who had left Leicester for Scottish side Motherwell.
I will break down the possibilities based on player position, provide top picks, and give some information to help you understand what kind of player they are as well as their possible future impact. I would also contend that each of these players are likely to eventually be in a top senior side, regardless of whether that will end with Leicester or not.
A Defensive Core
Over the last two Premier League campaigns - both of which have seen Leicester City relegated with little fight - the primary weakness of the Foxes was an inability to defence, allowing a maelstrom of chances on goal, and struggling to then counter the goals against with successful attacks of their own. They were unable to build up attacks or disrupt others.
This is most evident in their non-penalty expected goals + expected assists per 90 deficit: -1.87. This means that for every open play expected goal Ruud van Nistelrooy's team has created, they have conceded at least three. The result is most games being lost by multiple goal margins and leaving substitutes with a mountain of a task to complete. Clearly, we need new defenders.
At least partially, this has been the result of the incessant injuries to the best defender we have - Ricardo Pereira - and the panicked poor decision-making and positioning of Wout Faes and James Justin. On top of this, with Woyo Coulibaly already essentially being ignored, and Conor Coady getting no younger, the only defenders I have been broadly happy with are Caleb Okoli and Luke Thomas.
As such, the next set of defenders to come through the ranks must include a towering and strong centre back, a more progressive central defender, and a leader right-back. A versatile right-sided defender who can play either role with guile could also be very useful.
For me, these would include Ben Nelson, Tom Wilson-Brown, Joe Wormleighton, and Olabade Aluko. I have already spoken about Nelson here. The central defender is a hot commodity and the Foxes will have to start the player in the Championship if they hope to keep the talent at the King Power. If he stays, he could be the next long-term defender in the squad. At over 6.3 feet, Nelson is an aerial threat, a strong presence, and his positioning is excellent.
Wilson-Brown has had a rough time out on loan. Before that, the defender illustrated a nack for collecting the ball in defence and drifting it forward - usually wide - to help the team progress. Although not explosive, the player offers composure at the back, while also passing well to retain possession. In the future, a player such as himself under pressure could be the key Leicester City need to break an opposing press.
Wormleighton has captained the U21s at times and has been developed to support an inverted winger by overlapping on the right and attempting to create overloads in attack. With pace, a good cross, and having been brought through with the right coaching, the young right-back could be a long-term replacement to Ricardo Pereira and could immediately replace Justin in the squad. I expect him to go out on loan next season, but should the Foxes also seek to let Coulibaly go, Wormleighton might just stay.
The versatile fullback-CB Aluko has already been named on the bench for the senior side. The main attraction of the player is - as with Wormleighton - having been developed to fit a particular offensive style, he is explosive, pacy, loves to carry the ball, and tries to beat his man incessantly. There is creativity and hunger to progress the ball and create chances in Aluko that could partner well with Abdul Fatawu and other promising youth stars. Others have also noted Aluko as a high potential talent.