Ipswich Town and Wrexham will be left with summer transfer regret - Leicester City have pulled a blinder | OneFootball

Leicester City will be delighted that they beat Ipswich Town and Wrexham to the signing of Jordan James after his fast start at the club.

There are many difficulties that come with any transfer window, as it can be very complicated to finalise a deal.

For Championship clubs, budget restrictions mean they are often competing against each other when it comes to prospective new signings.

So, not only do you need to agree a fee with a selling club, and sort personal terms, you also need to convince individuals that your project is better than others.

Each transfer window inevitably consists of a Championship saga, with multiple teams competing in something of a tug of war, and it was no different in the summer.

Leicester City saw off Ipswich Town, Wrexham competition to sign Jordan James

One example of several clubs targeting the same player came this summer, as Ipswich, Wrexham and Leicester all pushed to recruit Jordan James.

In many ways, it’s easy to see why the Welsh international was in demand, as he has proven himself at this level with Birmingham City in the past, where he emerged as a top talent and broke into the Welsh national team.

However, his switch to Rennes didn’t really work out, so James was looking to return to English football to show what he could do.

Ultimately, he decided to join Leicester, with the Foxes securing James on an initial loan deal, and they have the option to make the move a permanent one for just €5m.

Jordan James has settled quickly at Leicester City

Even though it’s very early days, most Leicester fans will be very excited about how James’ career in the East Midlands has started — as he has been brilliant.

The 21-year-old has already displayed what he is all about, as he has given Marti Cifuentes’ side another attacking threat with his ability to chip in with goals.

After scoring in the draw against Wrexham, showing the Red Dragons what they are missing, James followed that up with a superb effort in the win against Swansea City last time out.

With James also registering an assist in the game, that means he is on two goals and an assist in five games, which is a very impressive return. The 23-cap Welsh international is continuing his reputation as a goalscoring midfielder, having previously registered eight strikes from 42 matches for Birmingham in the 2023/24 campaign.

One would suspect, however, that James is on course to usurp that return.

More importantly, he is making a big contribution to the way that Cifuentes’ side plays.

He may be a young player, but James is very physical, and that powerful running has given Leicester a different dimension in attack, as he is constantly making runs in the box.

Furthermore, that energy has allowed the team to press with more intensity, so there is a nice balance to the side when James is occupying the role nearest to the striker.

With Abdul Fatawu, Stephy Mavididi and Jeremy Monga among the options out wide, having James in the side can give them less defensive responsibility, as he is willing to put in the hard yards off the ball.

Plus, as his strike against the Swans proved, he is also a capable technical player, so he is perfectly capable of helping Cifuentes’ men keep the ball. That is important for a Leicester side who are used to coming up against a low block, with Southampton the only team to have a higher average possession than the Foxes this season.

Jordan James looks to be available for a bargain fee for Leicester City

All connected to Leicester will be delighted at how quickly James has adapted to his new club, and perhaps the only need for caution is that he is just five games into his career at the club, so it’s too soon to get carried away, as he will need to maintain these standards over a longer period of time.

Nevertheless, at the moment, the €5m fee required to make James’ move a permanent one seems a no-brainer for the Championship side. In fact, it could turn out to be a real bargain.

James already has plenty of high-level experience, having made over 100 appearances for Birmingham, the vast majority of which came in the second tier. As well as that, he has tested himself abroad in France, and James has also represented Wales over 20 times. But, you still sometimes forget he is only 21, so there should be plenty of room for development.

So, whilst this has looked like a shrewd signing for Leicester in the short-term, it’s one that could benefit the club in the years to come — and James may well prove to be the one that got away for Wrexham and Ipswich.