Marti Cifuentes currently oversees an extremely crowded Leicester City squad. Thirty-one senior players (with a few promising youngsters also involved) is arguably a tough figure to manage.
And that is what the Leicestershire club are reported to have at their disposal. With only three Foxes apparently unavailable for the clash with Coventry City on Saturday afternoon, LCFC will have some dissatisfied personnel to handle after the weekend.
Reducing the line-up further back in August, or even on September 1, would have been far more desirable, to be completely honest. City should have done more to unload excess or underused but relatively valuable professionals. Or, alternatively, the East Midlands outfit could have loaned out a few emerging talents for development.
Yet here we are; the King Power hierarchy are reputedly shrewd negotiators. Therefore Leicester chiefs and the recruitment team obviously didn’t agree to low-ball or cheeky bids for assets of varying levels of status and quality.
However, the Filbert Way side will likely be active again once the New Year arrives. I anticipate some sales and perhaps a loan or two. And our friends at Leicester Mercury have released a list of five Foxes they are uncertain about. This group of City players is apparently expected to depart during the January transfer period.
These five Leicester City footballers might possibly exit at the first chance:
Before we delve into the main details, I was surprised to read the Mercury’s Jordan Blackwell’s thoughts on forgotten Fox, Harry Souttar.
The Australian has been registered on Leicester’s roster. And the writer believes Ben Nelson could actually be the centre back who misses out or heads out on loan.
“It means, come January, City are likely to have five first-team centre-backs. That seems like too many for Marti Cifuentes to accommodate.
“Depending on who the manager sees as the best four options, City will need to move a player on, either with a sale or loan.
“A loan would especially be needed if it’s Ben Nelson who’s not going to get a look-in. He needs the game-time to aid his development.” – [Leicester Mercury]
Elsewhere, Wout Faes didn’t transfer to Turkey. Yet Lazio may return for the Belgian in January. Meanwhile Silko Thomas and Wanya Marcal might respectively, temporarily move.
Blackwell also, understandably, considers Victor Kristiansen possibly unnecessary to the squad. Again, he could actively seek a switch.