Leicester aren’t ‘Premier League-ready’ – so what do they need to do in the transfer market?

Steve Cooper has been reluctant to set targets for his Leicester City side this season, other than saying they need to be “Premier League-ready” ahead of their return to the English top flight.

But despite early work in the transfer window, his squad appears to be short of that target with under two weeks to go until their opening game against Tottenham Hotspur on Monday, August 19. They have lost their last two pre-season games, against Augsburg and Palermo, both 1-0, with a final dress rehearsal against Lens in France on Saturday.

There is plenty of work to do both on and off the pitch to ensure Leicester aren’t immediately relegated — especially with the spectre of a points deduction for an alleged breach of profit and sustainability rules (PSR) still looming in the background. The club remain in the dark about when a hearing of that case will be held.

Leicester find themselves in that position because of overspends in previous transfer windows and an inability to raise enough finances to balance the books through player sales. They are still facing the consequences of that now after winning last season’s Championship title.

Their player of the season, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, was sold to Chelsea for £30million ($38m) to ease PSR concerns. Dennis Praet, Marc Albrighton and Kelechi Iheanacho — all members of the squad that helped them to the FA Cup before they were relegated in 2022-23 — left the club as free agents.

In their place, Leicester have so far spent more than £30million on four replacements: winger and free agent Bobby De Cordova-Reid after his Fulham contract expired, defender Caleb Okoli from Atalanta, young midfielder Michael Golding from Chelsea, and fan favourite Abdul Fatawu after his performances last season on loan from Sporting Lisbon.

But more is needed before the end of the transfer window because, as things stand, Leicester’s squad could reasonably be considered to be weaker than the one with which they finished their successful Championship season.

Cooper is no stranger to shaping a newly promoted squad after his experience at Nottingham Forest. The newly appointed Leicester coach has said he wants more signings, although he has been reluctant to say how many and in what positions, so as not to demotivate squad members who he may have to rely on if the club fail with their preferred targets.

Those who have watched Leicester’s pre-season know what areas need urgent strengthening. The problem is a large portion of their £40million-£50m budget (depending on player sales) is already gone.

Leicester look set in defence, even if many players were part of the side relegated two years ago. Cooper has central defenders Wout Faes, Jannik Vestergaard, Conor Coady and Okoli, with young centre-back Ben Nelson as backup and full-back James Justin able to step inside. Harry Souttar has not featured in pre-season and missed an open training session at the King Power Stadium on Tuesday. He has since joined Sheffield United on loan for the 2024-25 season.

Right-back is covered by Justin and Ricardo Pereira, with the 21-year-old Victor Kristiansen and Justin on the other side of the defence. England Under-21 international Luke Thomas is another defender who is expected to leave.

Harry Winks is a nailed-on starter in front of the back four in Cooper’s preferred 4-2-3-1 formation. Wilfred Ndidi, Boubakary Soumare and Hamza Choudhury are options to partner him at the base of midfield.

But Cooper wants reinforcements further forward. His team’s performances this summer have shone a light on some worrying deficiencies in attack.

Dewsbury-Hall hasn’t been replaced after scoring 12 goals and providing 14 assists last term. The 18-year-old Golding is considered a signing for the future and Leicester don’t have a proven No 10 at present. Stephy Mavididi, De Cordova-Reid and Kasey McAteer have operated there in pre-season, but it remains a priority position to strengthen for Cooper.

He has been reluctant to admit it, but Cooper must also want another main striker.

At 37, Jamie Vardy remains Leicester’s best centre-forward despite not having featured much in pre-season because of a minor injury. There will be concerns as to how much of a burden is placed on the club’s talisman.

Patson Daka has featured prominently, but the Zambian looks woefully short of confidence in front of goal and hasn’t scored in a competitive game since February. The former Everton youth graduate Tom Cannon has been largely absent so far this summer.

Mavididi and Fatawu were exciting wingers in the Championship last season but are unknown quantities at Premier League level, as is McAteer. De Cordova-Reid is the only player in that position with that experience.

Leicester have been looking in those areas and Cooper has said they have failed in the pursuit of a couple of targets. The Argentinian Matias Soule, who has moved from Juventus to Roma, was one player they showed interest in signing.

Arsenal’s Reiss Nelson was another they enquired about, but it quickly became apparent he would be beyond their budget. They have been linked with Liverpool’s Fabio Carvalho at Liverpool but may encounter a similar situation, while his team-mate and 18-year-old forward Ben Doak remains a target.

It has been a quiet transfer window for nearly three weeks now after a flurry of early action. That has left many supporters concerned, with the clock ticking down to the start of the new season.

PSR concerns across the Premier League have meant clubs must sell players before they make signings.

Leicester have been strongly linked to Chelsea striker David Datro Fofana, with the west London club making it known that he is available for a move as they look to make space for their own arrivals. Signing the 21-year-old Ivorian striker would be straightforward, but Leicester are weighing up other potential options.

It could all lead to a frantic end to the window, with players moving out to make space for new signings. Leicester certainly have numbers — 24 players were in action in their open training session, where around 5,000 fans witnessed Cooper’s hands-on approach and fast-paced drills. Only Vardy, Souttar and Polish goalkeeper Jakub Stolarczyk weren’t involved.

But the emphasis has to be on bringing in quality players who can be instant starters and make the difference in their battle for survival. Their season could depend on it.

(Top photo: Plumb Images/Leicester City FC via Getty Images)