Leicester City must attempt swoop for Millwall player who could tear League One apart | OneFootball

Russell Martin should look to make Millwall's Macaulay Langstaff his first addition as Leicester City boss this summer

It has not been a year to remember for Leicester City, who, a decade on from lifting the Premier League title, will be playing third-tier football for just the second time in their history following relegation from the Championship.

Leicester supporters have certainly seen better days.

Three relegations in four years means the former Premier League champions of just ten years ago, and FA Cup winners of just five years ago, will be playing League One football next season.

Numerous off-field and, of course, on-field issues have contributed to this demise, but with their fate confirmed, those at the King Power Stadium will be eager to look forward rather than backwards ahead of a new era.

Russell Martin, formerly of Southampton and Rangers, has been announced as the club's new permanent head coach, with the 40-year-old tasked with taking the Foxes back to the second tier at the first time of asking.

With the summer window officially open for business, exits are set to be aplenty from the club over the coming months, as Martin looks to reshape the Leicester side in his image.

One of his first ports of call must be to address the centre-forward position following the departure of two first-team strikers, and should do so by making a move for a once record-breaking goalscorer currently plying his trade with Millwall.

Russell Martin should look to make Millwall's Macaulay Langstaff his first addition at Leicester City this summer

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Since Jamie Vardy left the club in the summer of 2025, Leicester have yet to fill the void he left behind.

Whilst his departure alone is not the sole contribution to their demise, neither Patson Daka, Jordan Ayew, nor Julian Carranza could come close to adequately replacing his output or presence up top.

Daka and Ayew have since been announced to be leaving the club at the end of their current deals, leaving an even greater void in the final third for Martin to address.

Alongside Daka and Ayew, the likes of Ricardo Pereira, Jamaal Lascelles, Jordan James, Aaron Ramsey, Joe Aribo, and Divine Mukasa have all been confirmed to be leaving the club following the expiration of their contracts or at the end of their loan spells, leaving Martin a lot of work to be done.

One of his first actions, though, must be to address the key centre-forward position, and must make a move for Millwall's Macaulay Langstaff to become the Foxes' new hitman.

Langstaff, 29, like Vardy, first made a name for himself in the lower leagues of English football, hitting 28 goals in one campaign for Gateshead in the sixth tier, earning a move to then fifth-tier side Notts County for around £50k.

In his first year with the Magpies, he netted an astonishing 41 goals and grabbed seven assists in 45 league games at Meadow Lane, breaking the record for the most goals scored in the fifth tier in one campaign.

He'd continue his goalscoring exploits in the fourth tier in Nottinghamshire, hitting a further 28 in 46 league games, and by this point, his goalscoring record was too good to ignore, as Millwall parted ways with around £750k to bring the forward to The Den in the summer of 2024.

In the English capital, Langstaff has found hitting the back of the net a lot more scarce, with just five goals in 76 appearances across all competitions for the Lions, playing firmly as a backup behind both Josh Coburn and Mihailo Ivanovic.

Having failed to make an impact in two years at The Den, Langstaff ought to look for a move elsewhere this summer, and should take a step back down to the third tier with Leicester, where he could thrive.

The jump from the fourth tier to the second proved to be too much for the Englishman, and his career may be best served by taking a step back to the third tier to rediscover his goalscoring touch.

With Leicester enduring a couple of difficult years, just like Langstaff, it could be a match made in heaven, and having had a similar career trajectory as the legendary Vardy up until the Championship, the 29-year-old ought to follow in his footsteps and make the move to the King Power this summer, as Martin should move quickly to secure his services.

Russell Martin has the opportunity to rebuild Leicester City in his image this summer, and must consider Macaulay Langstaff's addition

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Having guided Southampton back to the Premier League in 2024, Martin has had an especially difficult period in management since.

He would win just one of his 16 games in charge of the Saints following promotion, losing 13, and would join Scottish giants Rangers the following summer, though his time in Glasgow didn't fare much better.

Martin won just five of his 16 games in charge at Ibrox, and has since spent eight months out of management before taking the Leicester job recently.

The former Norwich City defender has the opportunity to not only rebuild the Foxes squad in his image this summer, but rebuild his reputation, as the manager and club pairing could be a perfect fit.