Leicester City: Transfers, Contracts and Rumours 25/05/2014

Article by e-Leicester City's Ross Eade

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It’s been another busy week at the King Power stadium. At the end of the season, Nigel Pearson expressed a desire to get the vast majority of the clubs transfer dealings done during the early stages of the summer break and it looks like he is doing exactly that.

As you can imagine, many transfer rumours are doing the rounds, some believable, some not so believable and some absolutely ludicrous. Leicester were reported to have submitted a £3m bid for Brighton striker Leonardo Ulloa, with the Seagulls rejecting and asking for a whooping £7m, there has been no further news on this deal. Also being linked to the club are West Brom’s Craig Dawson, Norwich’s Wes Hoolahan and Gary Hooper, as well as the club reportedly putting in a £1m bid for Cardiff front man Frazier Campbell. Other names that have been thrown around are the higher profile, out of contract players such as Gareth Barry, James Milner, Joleon Lescott and Rio Ferdinand, all of which I believe to be highly unrealistic rumours for players who would probably have too high a wage demand.

There is still no news about Kasper Schmeichel and David Nugent signing new deals with the club. There have been unconfirmed rumours that Schmeichel has verbally agreed to a new deal, but nothing has been made official. As for Nugent, at the time of writing this, fresh reports have come to light claiming that contract negotiations have stalled with the striker, putting a handful of Premier League teams on alert about his availability.

But in the past seven days, Leicester City have confirmed four new signings , snapping up exciting youngster Jack Barmby, son of former England player Nick Barmby, after his contract with Manchester United ended, winger Marc Albrighton, who will leave Aston Villa this summer at the end of his contract to join up with the foxes, centre back Matthew Upson, who was a key part in Brighton Hove Albion’s campaign but is also now out of contract and Charlton Athletic’s goalkeeper Ben Hamer who will also be added to the squad on a free transfer.

Last week I reported on the news that the Leicester City owner, Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha, had vowed to invest heavily in the club to turn them into a top Premier League side. This however, seems to have had no impact on the way Nigel Pearson is going about adding depth to his squad. So far all the additions made to the foxes have all been on free transfers. As I have previously mentioned, Pearson has never splashed out on players for his team, and this looks like it could be set to continue. But the question on many of the blue army’s lips is, has Pearson made the right signings?

Well for starters, the Leicester fans have a lot of faith in Nigel Pearson’s ability to sign good players, usually for next to nothing. Players such as Riyad Mahrez, Anthony Knockaert and Danny Drinkwater, just to name a few, were signed under Pearson and have become hits at the King Power. So I’m sure most fans will be more than ready to put trust in the manager’s new acquisitions.

So let’s take a look at the players themselves.

There is Jack Barmby, a young prospect who was released by Manchester United at the end of his contract. He spent part of last season on loan at Hartlepool in League Two, scoring 5 goals in 15 appearances, turning a few heads in the process. Barmby, I’m sure, won’t feature immediately for Leicester as he is young and still needs to develop, but hopefully we will see a bright future for the 19 year old.

Ben Hamer was at Charlton Athletic for 3 seasons, making 114 appearances for the Addicks. He has no Premier League experience but has plenty in the Championship. At the age of 26, he could be a great understudy to a more prominent number one (Leicester will be hoping Schmeichel is that number one) and under the tutelage of Pearson and his team, could become a great goalkeeper.

We also have Marc Albrighton. The winger started as a trainee at Aston Villa and worked his way up the ranks. In his 5 years as a senior player at the club, he has only made 82 appearances, this could raise many questions about the fitness of the 24 year old. However, when he has played he has had moments of key creativity and chipped in with the odd goal. So hopefully he will prove a key addition while wearing the blue of Leicester.

Lastly we have Matthew Upson. The signing of the 35 year old centre back was met with split opinions from the Leicester City faithful. The former England man has had his ups and downs in his career but could prove invaluable. His experience could be priceless, he has played many games in the top flight and knows exactly what is expected at such a high level. Upson was also named Brighton’s player of the season during their last campaign and was a big factor in them reaching the playoffs on the final day. Similar to last year’s signing of Kevin Philips, I’m sure Upson has been called upon for his experience and will also provide key backup to the defence.

So, with four signings already made, and Nigel Pearson already stating there will not be an overhaul of his squad over the summer, the question now is how many more players will walk through the doors of the King Power stadium?

However, I’m sure that, whoever Leicester sign and have already signed, the vast majority of the fans will be putting their trust and belief in Nigel Pearson’s judgement.

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