Leicester City seized double transfer gold from Man Utd decisions | OneFootball

Leicester City made shrewd additions to their squad with a double signing back in May 2012, where both players played their part for the Foxes.

Leicester City's recent drop down the English football pyramid is certainly a frustrating one to watch for the club's supporters, particularly after some notable high moments.

The Foxes will be playing in the third tier for the first time since the 2008/09 league campaign, and the days of playing their football in the Premier League will feel like a distant memory nowadays.

Of course, Leicester had plenty of memorable matches whilst in England's top-flight, particularly in the 2015/16 season, where the Foxes won the Premier League title, much to the surprise of the footballing world.

Two players that played their part in Leicester's drive up the football pyramid were Matty James and Ritchie De Laet, and the duo went on to feature for the Foxes in that memorable league campaign under the management of Claudio Ranieri.

Both players were announced as a double signing for Leicester on 15th May 2012, as the pair arrived on a permanent basis from Manchester United for an undisclosed fee.

James and De Laet both had plenty of EFL experience under their belt when they arrived at the King Power Stadium, but not even they would have predicted the success that they would have gone on to have with the club.

Matty James' mixed spell with Leicester

Leicester had a couple of frustrating seasons in the Championship after winning promotion from League One, and they opted for some experienced EFL options in Matty James and Ritchie De Laet.

James had previously spent two seasons on loan with Preston North End prior to his arrival at the King Power Stadium, and he went on to feature regularly for the Foxes in his time with the club in the second tier.

It's no coincidence that Leicester's league positions improved greatly after James' arrival, and his calmness in the centre of midfield was a real positive.

Leicester finished sixth in James' first season with the club, and although they were beaten by Watford in dramatic fashion over two legs, the Foxes didn't let that impact them moving forward.

They followed that up with promotion as Championship winners the following year, and James played a key role for them, making 40 appearances, whilst also chipping in with one goal and five assists in that memorable league campaign.

He then went on to feature regularly in his first ever season in the Premier League for Leicester, before struggling with some injury problems, which kept him out of action. That saw James miss out on featuring for the Foxes during their title-winning Premier League campaign in 2016, but he went on to play his part in the top-flight for them on a rotational basis for the four years following that league success.

De Laet proved to be a shrewd addition for the Foxes

Ritchie De Laet was another player that struggled to break through to the Manchester United first-team, although he did make three senior appearances for the Red Devils in his time with the club, before moving to Leicester City in 2012.

The full-back was a regular in his first two seasons with the Foxes, and then went on to make 38 appearances across two seasons with the Foxes in the Premier League, which included 12 appearances in the title-winning campaign.

De Laet chipped in with one goal in that season, which came in a dramatic 3-2 comeback win against Aston Villa, which is a game that will be remembered fondly by the Leicester supporters.

De Laet left the club after that title-winning season, and joined Aston Villa, before going on to finish his playing career back in Belgium, where he spent five years with Royal Antwerp in the Belgian Pro League.

Leicester City really struck gold in signing James and De Laet, with the Belgian full-back in particular impressing in his time with the club, and showing that he could adjust to the demands of Premier League football.

Some of the Leicester fanbase might be wondering what could have been with Matty James, as some serious injuries disrupted his time in the first-team squad, and many might have felt that he could have played a part in their famous Premier League title-winning season if he had been free from injury.

They were both great servants to the club though, and will be fondly remembered for their time with Leicester, and their fans will be hoping that they can find players with the same work ethic heading into the summer transfer window, as the Foxes need a significant rebuild ahead of their League One return.