Terms of Will Smallbone transfer to Leicester City revealed | OneFootball

Will Smallbone is set to reunite with Russell Martin, signing for Leicester City on a three-year deal

Leicester City are set to bolster their midfield with the free agent signing of Will Smallbone, who will sign a three-year deal with the League One side.

The Foxes have had a middling start to life back in the third tier for just the second time in their history. They sit 14th at the first international break, having picked up nine points from seven games.

A hangover from their consecutive relegations could be attributed to that somewhat slow start, with the mood around the club continuing to sour and the majority of the fanbase completely rejecting the possession-heavy philosophy of new manager Russell Martin, even in games they're winning.

But strong performances in wins against Stockport County and Plymouth Argyle — two early pace-setters — show promising signs, and the higher-ups at the King Power Stadium have shown signs of backing the under-fire boss even further, with the signing of Smallbone.

The terms of Will Smallbone's Leicester City deal revealed

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Smallbone's 18-year association with Southampton, the club he came through the academy with, came to an end this past summer, after he wasn't offered a new deal following spending the final year of his contract out on loan at Millwall.

His best year of those 18 at St Mary's, though, came under Russell Martin during the 2023/24 term. The Irishman only made 90 first-team appearances for the Saints, but 50 of those came in that promotion campaign, where he was one of the better players in the side.

Smallbone also started the 2024/25 Premier League campaign as a first-choice midfielder, too, before a hamstring injury sidelined him, something which has become a theme of his last two seasons.

Now, he's set to reunite with Martin, having been a free agent for a few months now. According to John Percy, the Foxes have offered him a three-year deal at the King Power Stadium.

How Leicester City fans have reacted to Will Smallbone news

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It's safe to say that Leicester have rejected the idea of Smallbone signing for them. The 26-year-old resembles Russell Martin's style of play, and those who aren't fans of the manager are seeing this deal as one which indicates he still has the board's backing.

"It's beyond parody now," one Leicester fan wrote on X in response to John Percy's report. "If anyone is surprised by this, how?" another questioned.

"I'm actually so done with these lot," another Foxes fan commented, while others are getting restless with the number of ex-Southampton players who have signed for Leicester in recent years.

The likes of Jannik Vestergaard and Joe Aribo were failures in a Leicester shirt, while the Foxes also signed Alex McCarthy in the summer after he left St Mary's. Above all, of course, was the hiring of Russell Martin.

"Southampton players historically do brilliantly at Leicester," one fan commented sarcastically, while another said, "What is this obsession we have with buying from Southampton? 😭0% hit rate."

Will Smallbone could be a great League One player, but a three-year deal seems steep

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For a League One club, this could be seen as a great signing. Smallbone's year at Millwall was plagued by injury, but if he was fit enough to feature in more than 10 games, he'd have likely played a key role in the side that finished third in the Championship last season.

However, questions are, rightly, being asked over the suitability of the deal. Leicester arguably don't need any other central midfielders, and this arrival could stunt the growth of Sammy Braybrooke, who has started alongside John Lundstram in the last couple of games.

Additionally, if his injury issues, which have haunted him over the past couple of years, follow him to the King Power Stadium, it could end up being a financial mistake, paying him decent wages over three years.

Ultimately, there aren't many things that Leicester fans are happy about right now, and this doesn't seem to have lifted the mood amongst them.

If Smallbone can stay healthy, though, and perform as he did under Martin at Southampton, he could easily be one of the best players in the division. Only time will tell whether he can remain fit for the whole campaign, having come in without a pre-season.