Leicester City hit transfer jackpot with £1.25m Leeds United bargain raid | OneFootball

A Leeds United transfer deal proved to be one of the best bargains in Leicester City history

Summary

Leicester City’s rise to becoming Premier League champions is one of the most remarkable football stories of modern times.

The Foxes had spent a decade outside of the top flight, including a year down in League One, before earning promotion under Nigel Pearson in 2014.

Pearson then guided the club to an impressive 14th place finish in their first campaign back in the division, achieving one of the greatest relegation escape acts seen in a long time on the way.

But absolutely nobody expected the Leicestershire outfit to go on to a title triumph just 12 months later.

A club built on the back of journeymen like Robert Huth, Wes Morgan and Danny Simpson secured a first title in the club’s history under Claudio Ranieiri.

An overlooked Leicester City transfer bargain

Football - Leeds United v Lincoln City - Carling Cup First Round - Elland Road - 10/11 - 10/8/10 Kasper Schmeichel - Leeds United Mandatory Credit: Action Images / Lee Smith

The signing of Jamie Vardy often gets a lot of acclaim for its role in the club’s rise, and rightly so.

The striker was playing non-league football with Fleetwood Town before signing for the Foxes, but he was crucial in title triumph.

He scored in a record 11 consecutive league games on his way to a tally of 24, only bettered by Tottenham Hotspur’s Harry Kane.

However, the signing of goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel has gone overlooked as a result of Vardy’s acclaim.

The Danish international was just as integral to that Leicester side as anyone, and signed to the club from Leeds United in a deal worth just £1.25 million.

The shot-stopper had a lot to live up to when he first burst onto the scene due to being the son of Peter Schmeichel.

His father won a European Championship with Denmark, as well as a European Cup, three FA Cups and five Premier League titles with Manchester United during his playing days.

That cast a big shadow over Kasper’s career, and he struggled for several years to stand out and make a name for himself without his father being mentioned.

But his time at the King Power Stadium cemented his name in the record books in his own right.

He made a total of 479 competitive appearances for the Foxes during his 11 years at the club, winning a Championship and Premier League title, as well as an FA Cup, becoming a club legend in the process.

Leicester shouldn’t have let Schmeichel go

Soccer Football - FA Cup Final - Chelsea v Leicester City - Wembley Stadium, London, Britain - May 15, 2021 Leicester City's Wes Morgan and Kasper Schmeichel celebrate with the trophy after winning the FA Cup Pool via REUTERS/Matthew Childs

For such a bargain fee, losing Schmeichel for nothing in 2022 wasn’t the worst decision to make in a financial sense.

His performances covered the paltry transfer fee to sign him 50 times over.

It was a deal so good that Leicester dream of recapturing that magic again any time they dip into the market.

However, the decision to part ways with the Dane proved a disaster on the pitch, and perhaps showed that he didn’t get enough credit for just how good he was.

The team failed to replace Schmeichel, opting to promote second-choice Danny Ward into the starting lineup instead.

This was absolutely a contributing factor in their downfall, as the club suffered relegation to the Premier League that season, and despite bouncing back initially, relegation has set them back years, and they are a million miles away from where they once were with the Dane in the side.

If they could go back and change their mind, there is no doubt that Schmeichel would still be between the sticks for the Foxes.

A £1.25m bargain that had the longevity and quality to give Leicester some of their best years that are fast becoming a memory rather than the here and now.