Leicester City must hold major Preston North End transfer regret - He’s flying at Deepdale | OneFootball

Leicester City made a potential transfer blunder by letting the goalkeeper leave for free

Leicester City have found life back in the Championship tough so far this season under Marti Cifuentes, and seeing how a player they let go for absolutely nothing is flying at a divisional rival will not be cheering them up much.

The Foxes arrived in the second-tier after a poor showing in the Premier League last term, which saw them become the division’s first team to lose eight top-flight games in a row without scoring a single goal.

Marti Cifuentes was appointed as the man to lead them forward following the decision to part ways with Ruud van Nistelrooy, but the Spaniard has struggled during his time in the home dugout at the King Power Stadium.

There were positive signs during the early stages of Cifuentes’ stint in charge, with three wins in his first four outings building hope that a direct return to the Premier League could be on the cards.

However, the Foxes have won just one Championship match in their last 10 outings at this moment in time, a spell that stretches back to the end of August.

A large factor in this drop in performance can be explained due to Leicester’s lack of activity during the transfer window. A bloated squad and high wage bill limited the Foxes’ business to loan deals and free agents in the summer, with four of their five signings brought in on deadline day.

However, there was a player that Leicester let leave their ranks for free at the start of the window who has gone on to perform brilliantly for a fellow Championship outfit and could evoke a slight feeling of regret among the higher-ups at the King Power Stadium.

Leicester City’s Daniel Iversen decision may have been the wrong one

Daniel Iversen signed for Leicester City in the summer of 2016, but would have to wait until 2022 to make his debut for the club, before appearing 16 more times throughout the rest of the 2022/23 campaign.

The Dane had spent the rest of his time contracted to the Foxes out on loan with outfits such as Oldham Athletic, Rotherham United and Preston North End.

It was with PNE where Iversen really began to emerge as a top ‘keeper at Championship level, and was named the Lilywhites’ Player of the Year for the 2021/22 season after 18 months at the club on a temporary basis.

Returning to the East Midlands in 2022, Iversen had to wait until March 2023 to get his chance in the Premier League under Brendan Rodgers before his sacking, and after seeing out the campaign in-between the sticks, he went back to being a back-up under Enzo Maresca before being loaned out in the second half of 2023/24 to Stoke City.

In the summer of 2025, after spending a campaign with Leicester where he didn’t make a single appearance, Iversen was allowed to leave the King Power Stadium for free. He subsequently made a move back to Deepdale to replace Liverpool-bound Freddie Woodman.

The 28-year-old has impressed from the outset, making multiple match-defining saves during the first 14 games of the current campaign.

His mind-bending reflexes and ability to get a strong hand to most opposition chances have been crucial in allowing Paul Heckingbottom’s side to progress further up the table and look like potential play-off contenders.

The best example of Iversen’s heroics came against Bristol City, where PNE looked set to earn a hard-fought point versus opposition who had outperformed them on the day.

Suddenly, Anis Mehmeti wandered through on goal during the dying embers of the encounter and looked set to seal victory for the Robins. However, North End’s shot-stopper managed to claw a shot away in remarkable fashion to keep the scores level.

Leicester City have struggled to keep goals out in recent times, with Jakub Stolarczyk limited to just three clean sheets after 14 matches. It isn’t outrageous to suggest that some of the higher-ups at the King Power Stadium may be starting to regret the decision to let Iversen go on a free.

He has been one of the Championship’s standout goalkeepers this season and has severely strengthened another team in the division, a team that may end up competing with Leicester for similar finishing positions come May.

Furthermore, the Dane has shown that he has enough quality to command a healthy transfer fee for his services, which would’ve greatly benefitted the Foxes as they aimed to deal with the financial burden of relegation.

Therefore, letting Iversen go to Preston North End for free may be a choice that Leicester look back on with a tinge of disappointment come May.

Norwich City test is crucial for Leicester City and Marti Cifuentes

With Cifuentes coming under sustained pressure from areas of the Leicester City fanbase, a good run of results would be greatly appreciated by the Spaniard.

Successive victories would help the Foxes shoot up the table and perhaps even get their sights back on the promotion hunt.

Norwich City have been one of the Championship’s least competitive sides this season and are currently on a run of 10 league matches without a victory, suffering seven defeats in that time.

Leicester’s next contest places them against the Canaries, which means that Cifuentes has a golden opportunity to get a much-needed victory.

The Foxes could use these three points as a springboard to put together a strong run of results, which would massively relieve pressure on the Spaniard.

However, failure to beat Norwich would be catastrophic for Leicester’s boss. The Norfolk side currently look like arguably the Championship’s most vulnerable side, so failing to beat them could be one shortcoming too far for Cifuentes at the King Power Stadium.