Claude Puel craves January transfer window to rebalance his Leicester City squad

[Wymsey]

Think Silva will go out on-loan.

What a let down of a signing tbh, especially after the very late transfer for him. Had genuinely expected more from him.

Would seriously be tempted to recall Harvey Barnes if he carries on his form until January - he has something that's lacking in the current midfield and has still got further potential as well.

[Foxxed]

4 hours ago, Jimmy said:

Fuchs wants to go to MLS I can see us letting him go in January

Only if we sign another left back. Aint noone else in the squad who can play the position.

[volpeazzurro]

28 minutes ago, Foxxed said:

Only if we sign another left back. Aint noone else in the squad who can play the position.

If you sell or release an actual 1st team squad member, are you allowed to fill the position with another more further down the pecking order player? I'm thinking of Callum Elder that's all.

[fuchsntf]

13 hours ago, davieG said:

City manager admits it is tough task to keep all of his players happy

 

The January transfer window is vital for Leicester City manager Claude Puel as he seeks to rebalance his squad.

City have 28 senior players and with 10 in the stands on any given matchday, Puel faces a tough task to keep everyone happy.

The Frenchman used last January to offload strikers from City’s top-heavy squad, Ahmed Musa, Leo Ulloa and Islam Slimani all heading out on loan, but this time, defence and the midfield will likely be his target areas.

Yohan Benalouane, Callum Elder and Andy King are not registered in the Premier League squad, and have not featured this season, while Danny Simpson and Adrien Silva are struggling for game-time too.

Adrien Silva and Leicester City fringe players will get more game-time soon, says Claude Puel
Goalkeeper Eldin Jakupovic and winger Fousseni Diabate have also spent much of the season on the sidelines, along with the injured Matty James.

“I know, sometimes, it’s a lot of players in the squad,” said Puel. “It’s a response for the transfer window. We will see if we can continue to give game-time for some players, or if it will be better for some players to go on loan or leave the club.

“I think it’s important always for me to try to have a good balance for the team.

“It’s my work, my job, my management, but it will be easier if we can have a good balance in the team, in the squad, to manage all these players.

“For example, we have had a lot of strikers, a lot of midfielders, I think too much without the good balance in the squad.

“The transfer window is a period to find this balance. Because after we have to manage these players, to give game-time, to keep a positive attitude.

“It’s important to see the dressing room happy and all the players happy to have the possibility to play. It’s important to manage all this and maintain all the players with a positive attitude.

“When a player is not in the squad, he is not happy. It’s normal.”

However, Puel is pleased with the focus of his out-of-favour players, who may get some pitch-time before January with plenty of matches over the festive period.

 

 

Leicester City contracts and those that expire this summer

Five players are out of contract next June and six have another year to go. So who will City keep and who will move on?

ByRob TannerLeicester City Editor
06:00, 16 NOV 2018
SPORT

Five members of Leicester City’s Premier League title-winning squad will be out of contract at the end of the season.

Defenders Danny Simpson, Wes Morgan, Yohan Benalouane and Christian Fuchs, plus striker Shinji Okazkai, were all part of the group that made every City fans’ dream come true in 2016, but all five look set to be leaving at the end of this season.

Christian Fuchs has already stated he would not sign a new contract if offered one as he wishes to move to Manhatten and spend more time with his family, while pursuing his career and business interest in the United States.

However, so far none of them have been offered new contracts and new deals now looking increasingly unlikely, as it is rare for clubs wishing to retain players to allow their contracts to run so low as players can talk to other clubs and sign pre-contract agreements when they have six months or less to run.

Simpson seems resigned to moving on, while Okazaki is believed to prefer to stay in Europe, with a possible move to Italy or Spain.

Benaloune is not in the Premier League squad while 34-year-old Morgan has said he will assess his options towards the end of the season.

However, it will be a very different story for the players who still have one more year to run, and there are six players who will enter their final season on their contracts next season.

Eldin Jakupovic, Daniel Amartey, Papy Mendy, Hamza Choudhury, Andy King and Marc Albrighton will be out of contract in June 2020 and City are expected to offer contracts to several of them, especially youngsters Hamza Choudhury and Daniel Amartey, when he has recovered from his ankle injury.

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Manager Claude Puel has repeatedly referred to Choudhury as the future of the club and is expected to offer him a long-term deal.

Mendy’s City career looked over last season but his history with Puel in France has led to a rejuvenation in his career in the Premier League, while Albrighton is still only 28 and in the prime of his career.

City’s longest serving player, King, is not expected to be offered a new deal after falling out of favour under Puel. Having been left out of the Premier League squad, the Wales international is set to leave the club if an appropriate opportunity arises for the club stalwart, while Jakupovic has expressed his unhappiness with his lack of first team action and is now third choice behind Kasper Schmeichel and Danny Ward.

 

 

 

I reckon craves, is over the top...

[Hanan96]

3 hours ago, Foxxed said:

Only if we sign another left back. Aint noone else in the squad who can play the position.

His contract are due to end this summer. He won't sign new contract whatever 

 

[Mike Oxlong]

16 hours ago, NotTheMarketLeader said:

He’s already had two transfer windows. How more is he going get before the penny drops that his style of football is not popular.

 

Its supposed to be entertainment ffs.

 

Lets see how good a manager he is by working with the very talented squad he’s got! 

 

Puel out please.?‍♂️

Ok. I think I’ve got your drift Mr Pardew. 

[RonnieTodger]

15 hours ago, Leeds Fox said:

 

Do we have cover at LB? It could make sense to pay him off as he’s going in the summer anyway but if we’re paying him surely it’d make sense to keep him as cover. Can’t see him being a bad person to have around the club to be honest. 

I suppose we would’ve had Elder, but you’re right - he’s probably great to have around. It just seems like a bit of a wasted year for him personally though. 

[Leeds Fox]

18 minutes ago, RonnieTodger said:

I suppose we would’ve had Elder, but you’re right - he’s probably great to have around. It just seems like a bit of a wasted year for him personally though. 

 

Completely agree with you. If his plan was to leave Summer 2018 for a while he’s probably happy to stay and pick up a good wage.

[Lesta2014]

On 16/11/2018 at 17:10, StriderHiryu said:

Well you'd assume that we brought in two centre backs knowing that Wes would be moving on and that Maguire leaving was a possibility. So I think we actually planned that one out quite nicely.

 

If Morgan did stay, I could see it in similar to Fuchs this season role where he's wheeled out in the cups, and essentially there just in case we have a major injury to a first team player.

Would have nothing against Wes staying for another year in that role 

[l444ry]

Need an alternative/cover for Vardy. Decision time to stick or twist with Iheanacho.

[breadandcheese]

3 hours ago, l444ry said:

Need an alternative/cover for Vardy. Decision time to stick or twist with Iheanacho.

Wait. Sticking with Iheanacho is actually a consideration in the decision?

[StriderHiryu]

3 hours ago, l444ry said:

Need an alternative/cover for Vardy. Decision time to stick or twist with Iheanacho.

Come the end of the season I'd say you are right. If he's not producing I could see the club going in for a new striker. Probably someone that is a technically good on the ball but more of a unit as Vardy for obvious reasons can't hold the ball up as you might want.

With Nacho you don't want him to end up being "one that got away" like Kramaric, but Krambo was playing in a struggling team and never got the run of games that Nacho did, so he doesn't really have that excuse. Nacho is young, which means he has room to develop, but given he was a key part of the squad at Man City during Pellegrini's time and an experienced Nigeria international, he just hasn't kicked on in the way you'd expect him to.

But I don't think anyone will be brought in January unless we have injuries and targets will instead be identified for the summer.

[Col city fan]

Looks like Chelsea are allowing Cahill to go on loan in January.

I’d snap him up.

[Nick]

12 minutes ago, Col city fan said:

Looks like Chelsea are allowing Cahill to go on loan in January.

I’d snap him up.

Yeah but if even if we got him in, we’d need a manager to actually play him which we don’t have.

[goose2010]

Dom salanke on loan for me, bags of talent and slightly different style to Vardy. Maddison, Gray and Chilly know him well and is definitely a Puel style player. 

 

Would love loftus-cheek would cost a lot but would be worth it. 

[chris_lcfc_85]

44 minutes ago, goose2010 said:

Dom salanke on loan for me, bags of talent and slightly different style to Vardy. Maddison, Gray and Chilly know him well and is definitely a Puel style player. 

 

Would love loftus-cheek would cost a lot but would be worth it. 

Solanke is a great shout, would be a quality signing. I'd like to see Clyne here too 

 

I think silva could go on loan although big mistake for me, we should be offering him more game time here 

[BKLFox]

1 hour ago, Swan Lesta said:

Yeah but if even if we got him in, we’d need a manager to actually play him which we don’t have.

Col, Swan, your quick to slate Puel for not playing players yet happy to add to the problem with another aging CB who you would like to see play which then pushes the same players you calling for now to get a game further down the pecking order.

Caglar and Filip are the future CB pairing and will get their chance as soon as they have settled and shown they can take up the mantle, in the mean time I think we have enough CBs for now with another 4 or 5 lads coming through the development squad in that position.

 

[Heymister2015]

Victor Moses! He’d be great at right wing back. We pay the kind of wages now he’d be getting paid at Chelsea and he gets to team up with Ndidi and Iheanacho 

[Ric Flair]

Solanke is one of those players that its unclear if hes actually any good or not. He's done well for England U21's but plenty of Championship level players have done the same. Highly doubtful he's any better than Iheanacho or Demarai Gray, different player to Gray but he's another who is superb at U21 level for his country but in the PL still is massively inconsistent.

[winteriscoming]

Don't know why anyone would want cahill. Just what we need another slow past it centre half. 

[Max Wall]

3 minutes ago, winteriscoming said:

Don't know why anyone would want cahill. Just what we need another slow past it centre half. 

Agreed.

We need a youngish, mobile, talented central defender to play with the experienced, older, slower central defenders. I was all for Benkovic going to Celtic if he wasn't going to play but our need might turn out greater than theirs. There's obviously a difference between the two leagues but he appears to be doing very well.

We certainly don't need to be signing central defenders in January, especially not Cahill. There's greater need in other areas and we're overloaded in central defence as it is.

[sdb]

I’d go all out for Loftus Cheek and then aim to get shot of the obvious 4/5. Moses is a good shout, as is Clyne. 

[Col city fan]

5 hours ago, BKLFox said:

Col, Swan, your quick to slate Puel for not playing players yet happy to add to the problem with another aging CB who you would like to see play which then pushes the same players you calling for now to get a game further down the pecking order.

Caglar and Filip are the future CB pairing and will get their chance as soon as they have settled and shown they can take up the mantle, in the mean time I think we have enough CBs for now with another 4 or 5 lads coming through the development squad in that position.

 

I wasn’t quick to slate Puel?

I think Cahill still has a decent couple of seasons left personally. A Harry/Cahill partnership would be good imo.

Edited 18 November 2018 by Col city fan

[CloudFox]

As is suggested in those articles, I don't think we'll be signing any more than one young-ish player.

 

Would love us to sign RLC, Clyne, and a target man though. That said, I haven't got a clue what young-ish/capable target men are out there for us.

Edited 18 November 2018 by CloudFox

[surrifox]

On 16/11/2018 at 22:53, Wymeswold fox said:

Think Silva will go out on-loan.

What a let down of a signing tbh, especially after the very late transfer for him. Had genuinely expected more from him.

Would seriously be tempted to recall Harvey Barnes if he carries on his form until January - he has something that's lacking in the current midfield and has still got further potential as well.

If we hadn’t screwed up the paperwork on the silva signing resulting in the delay in starting and showing what he can do he would probably already have been sent out on loan somewhere