Aaron Ramsey was Leicester City’s third and final signing of a hectic deadline day
There is relief and trepidation. The relief is that City have made signings at all, when, for so long, it looked like veteran free agent goalkeeper Asmir Begovic would be the sole arrival.
But there will be concern too. Deadline-day deals come with their pitfalls. They can be opportunistic and players may not arrive with the usual level of scouting and research into how they might fit. Deals may have been hashed out too.
It was only a year ago that City brought in Odsonne Edouard on deadline day, finally getting a striker they desperately wanted. But it cost them.
Not only did Edouard not hit the heights City hoped, the Frenchman barely playing, but he also took up one of their two allowed Premier League loan slots, and with no cancellation clause, it blocked potential January deals for Ruud van Nistelrooy. It was a very costly signing. It would have been better if it had not been done at all.
It’s only after this season is concluded in nine months’ time that the success of these three deadline-day recruits can be judged.
For now, the deals seem positive. It was important that City got some players through the door.
After his first six weeks in the job, Marti Cifuentes deserved some new recruits. The fans did too, just to make the squad feel fresher after relegation.
Southampton and Ipswich have bolstered their ranks considerably, with plenty of money spent and plenty of new faces arriving. They’d have left City straggling way behind if not for the trio of late deals.
Still, without context, it feels like an underwhelming window overall. No money has been spent. City have signed four players in total, less than half the number they brought in the last time they were preparing for a Championship season.
But the context is that City have been hamstrung by previous bad business and poor financial management that, combined with a relegation, meant outgoing deals had to be sorted first.
Don’t miss
Jayden Joseph, pictured in action for Leicester City Under-21s
It was slow moving to begin with, but City did pick up the pace. The deals for Kasey McAteer (£14m) and James Justin (£10m), likeable players who may not have pegged for departures initially, did generate fees beyond what would have been expected.
But the cash raised by the exits Mads Hermansen (£18m) and El Khannouss (£26m when his deal becomes permanent next summer) were not quite the bombshell windfalls predicted.
Plus, if El Khannouss is included, there’s only been six permanent exits. Fans wanted more than that.
After two relegations in three seasons there are many players at the club whose reputations have plummeted.
Leicester City deadline day highlights with late James and Ramsey signings among eight deals
And there are still a good handful of squad members who are in the final years of their deals – such as Harry Winks, Boubakary Soumare, and Patson Daka – and who will now leave for free next summer unless a small fee can be recouped for them in January.
Cifuentes’ arrival, the return of players from loans and injury, and the promotion of a few very talented youngsters mean, with the new signings, there is a tinge of vibrancy to the squad.
But ultimately, the turnover of players won’t have been enough to satisfy those in the fanbase who wanted a fresh start. Cifuentes is still having to wipe a lot of slates clean.
Leicester City deadline day highlights with late James and Ramsey signings among eight deals
What he does have, though, is a balanced group in terms of age, experience, and coverage of positions. And there is quality there. Keeping Abdul Fatawu and getting Jeremy Monga to pen a new contract are as good as any signings.
Despite the concerns and question marks, City have still ended the window with a squad that has the required ingredients to earn the club a top-six finish, even if they’re hit with a points deduction further down the line.
For the situation they put themselves in, City have come out the other side looking in reasonable shape. Or at least it seems that way for now.
Be the first to comment