Football League World
·13 July 2023
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·13 July 2023
Whilst nobody at Leicester City will have been anticipating relegation to the Championship last season, the Foxes unfortunately find themselves back in the second tier nevertheless.
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Having just come down, Enzo Maresca's side will likely be one of those fancied to go straight back up, and their transfer business so far has been strong.
One signing that the club managed to get over the line, for example, was that of Conor Coady from Wolves.
Now, whilst £7.5 million plus add-ons is a very significant fee at Championship level, Coady's vast experience cannot be argued with, and the 30-year-old should be an excellent leader both in the dressing room and on the pitch.
Furthermore, Harry Winks has arrived from Tottenham Hotspur.
Like Coady, he too has cost a significant fee, with reports suggesting the Foxes paid £10 million for his services.
Again, though, this is another signing, like Coady, that wouldn't have looked too out of place in the Premier League, never mind the Championship.
It hasn't all gone Leicester's way so far this summer, though.
If reports are to be believed, as well as signing some big money deals as mentioned above, the club have also missed out on some of their recent targets, particularly in the striking department.
For example, reports last month linked the club with Jerry Yates at Blackpool.
Indeed, Football Insider claimed that the Foxes were plotting a move for the in-demand forward, with a number of sides keen.
Well, it appears the club have been beaten to it, with Swansea City set to sign the 26-year-old, who is having a medical with the Welsh club after they had a £2.5 million bid accepted.
Off the back of a season where he scored 14 goals in 41 Championship games, Yates could have been a strong signing ahead of the club's Championship return.
As could South Korean international Cho Gue-sung, who the club also reportedly held an interest in.
As per Football Insider, Leicester were beaten to signing the 25-year-old Jeonbu Hyundai striker by Danish side FC Midtjylland in a £2.5 million deal.
Having missed out on the above names, it is arguably now the time for Leicester City to be bold and accelerate their transfer plans for another reported target of theirs - Swansea City's Joel Piroe.
With one-year left on his deal in South Wales, Piroe has been linked with a move to the King Power Stadium this summer and Leicester City should not hesitate to get this one done.
Like the names above, there will no doubt be competition for Piroe given his prolific goalscoring record in the division in recent seasons, and Leicester simply cannot afford to be beaten to another striking target.
The Championship campaign is just a matter of weeks away at this point, and it's unclear how the club's forward line will look for their season opener against Coventry.
Kelechi Iheanacho has been linked with a move to Saudi Arabia, for example, whilst Patson Daka and Iheanacho have both been linked with Roma.
At present, then, potentially, Leicester are relying on an inexperienced George Hirst and an ageing Jamie Vardy to turn back the clock and fire them to promotion.
That simply won't do, and as such, Leicester City should move fast for Joel Piroe, and bring an end to their chase of him one way or another.