Russell Martin's Leicester City arrival shapes winners and losers in rebuild | OneFootball

Russell Martin has been Leicester City manager for over a week and a major rebuild awaits in League One. The former Southampton and Rangers boss has one target, get the club back to the Championship, anything else will be judged a failure.

According to LeicesterMercury.co.uk, pre-season starts at Seagrave next week and churn is expected before the second weekend of August. Martin will quickly assess his squad, with clear winners and losers likely to emerge.

Midfielder Sammy Braybrooke returns from spells at Newport County and play-off qualifiers Chesterfield. At 22, he led League Two midfielders for completed passes and ranked in the top seven for expected assists, and Martin’s style could make League One the ideal next step if trusted to start.

Ben Nelson is at a crossroads. With one year left on his deal, this could be the final chance to bank a fee, yet if he commits for a League One season he could be vital. His 82.2% pass completion last term fits the need for an athletic, ball-playing centre-back.

Silko Thomas, 21, was used sparingly with Stephy Mavididi, Abdul Fatawu and Jeremy Monga preferred. All three could depart, leaving Thomas among the few wingers for a system that asks wide players to hurt opponents on the ball.

Among the likely losers, Jakub Stolarczyk’s distribution falls short for a possession-heavy approach. Gavin Bazunu posted an 85.6% pass success for goalkeepers at Southampton under Martin, while Stolarczyk recorded 67.1% last season, which points away from him as first choice.

Wout Faes left on loan to AS Monaco in January and is expected back after they declined a permanent move. He has no future at Leicester, is unlikely to relish League One and Martin’s stance on attitude, voiced during his time at Rangers, counts against him.

Oliver Skipp, 25, has had little interest and could stay by default. Martin preferred two playmakers to build with the defence at Swansea and Southampton, and two years into his Leicester spell Skipp’s role remains unclear.

Source: LeicesterMercury.co.uk