Real Football Man All of the Football, All of the time
After the fairy tale success of winning the Premier League last season Leicester fans were drawing up their own shopping lists in the Summer. They were linked with a whole host of names as they prepared for not only a defence of their title but also a first ever tilt in the Champions League.
Unfortunately though their dealings in the Summer were not quite up to par and their domestic form is nowhere near the heady heights of last season. With Leicester reportedly having just £15m left to spend this month manager Claudio Ranieri is limited in who can bring in to a squad that is arguably focusing more on matters in Europe than at home.
But £15m can still you get some quality if you shop around, firstly though Ranieri will have to ship some faces out if he is to rejig this under performing squad. We’ve already seen Jeffrey Schlupp recently leave the club but let’s now look at three more players who could leave The King Power this month.
Leonardo Ulloa
He may have played in not only Leicester’s league survival back in 2015 but also last season’s league success but this season Leonardo Ulloa has found chances at the club a lot harder to come by and it’s for that reason that he now could be set to move from The King Power.
With the arrival of Islam Slimani from Sporting Lisbon last August it has meant that Ulloa has moved down the pecking order as he has been limited to just 4 Premier League appearances this season in which he has failed to add to his 17 league goals for the club.
The former Brighton forward who joined The Foxes back in 2014 is now reportedly being tracked by West Brom as they look for some additional firepower in a bid to keep themselves in the top half of the table. Ulloa’s contribution to the club will certainly not be forgotten by Leicester fans but it seems as he is now the odd man out as this squad continues to evolve.
The 30 year old is a proven goal scorer at this level and with so many clubs in this division looking for a forward to get them all important goals, Ulloa will certainly find himself in high demand before the transfer window comes to a close at the end of the month.
Luis Hernandez
Bought to the club last Summer from Sporting Gijon on a 4 year deal, life in Leicester for Luis Hernandez has perhaps not gone to plan as he has struggled to break into the first team with just 3 Premier League appearances to his name.
And just 6 months into that 4 year deal it seems as if Hernandez’s desire for first team football will see him move away from the champions. Albeit that move will more than likely be on a short team basis for now as Malaga look to secure his services and capture the 27 year old on loan.
Hernandez perhaps epitomises what was wrong with Leicester’s transfer dealings over the course of last Summer, Claudio Ranieri wanted to add squad players to a title winning team but the fringe players have had very little impact as the manager stays loyal to his title winning stars.
That means that for a player like Hernandez his route to the first team has all but been blocked as he has to make do with being an unnamed substitute in match day squads. It’s perhaps to early to call his signing a flop but you do have to wonder how long the Spaniard’s Leicester career will end up being.
Matty James
After rupturing his anterior ligaments in May 2015, Matty James has unfortunately become the forgotten man at Leicester. As his teammates were going on to make club history he had to sit on the sidelines as he missed the whole of last season.
He would have no doubt been delighted with events at the club but it would have been tinged with some moments of sadness knowing that he did not get to play a part in their success. But with that serious injury now behind him he is still only on the fringes of the Leicester squad.
With the 25 year old finding first team football being hard to come by with just a single league appearance to his name in this campaign, it is believed that James will be afforded the chance to go out on loan this month to get some much needed minutes under his belt.
The former Manchester United youngster is being tracked by the likes of Hull and Swansea and although James would be thrown into a relegation battle should a move to either of this clubs materialise, he would no doubt relish the prospect of once again playing first team football every week.
