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davieG

Ex Players - They used to play for us

By davieG, in Leicester City Forum

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davieG

davieG

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https://footballleagueworld.co.uk/0-fee-endless-value-leicester-pick-aston-villa-pockets-hit-jackpot-marc-albrighton/

 

£0 fee, endless value: Leicester City picked Aston Villa’s pockets and hit the jackpot

 

Between 2014 and 2016, Leicester City enjoyed one of the most remarkable rides that any team in the history of the sport, let alone English football, have enjoyed, and Marc Albrighton played a starring role – all for a free transfer.

After a couple of seasons of knocking on the door to the Premier League, Leicester City eventually smashed it down by romping their way to the second-tier title in the 2013/14 campaign.

The Foxes, under the management of Nigel Pearson, then embarked upon a summer transfer window in which they required and sought Premier League experience in order to sustain themselves in the top-flight.

Marc Albrighton was one of the first men through the door at the King Power Stadium, having departed Aston Villa at the end of his contact, where he had been since 1998.

Albrighton came through the academy at Villa and the Tamworth-born winger went on to make just over 100 appearances for the Villains before being phased out of the side.

At the age of 25, there was a chance that Albrighton’s career could then drift into becoming an EFL journeyman, but Leicester took a chance and he more than repaid his value.

 

Albrighton became a Leicester legend

In the 2014/15 season, Leicester had struggled badly and Pearson was coming under a lot of pressure with the Foxes heading into the spring seemingly adrift at the bottom-of-the-table and destined for an immediate return to the second division.

In the first-half of the campaign, with Leicester well stocked out-wide and Pearson keen on maintaining a more open and progressive style so limiting the options for Albrighton to get into the team, he did indeed struggle for minutes, making just one start before April.

Marc Albrighton 1
Then, as April came, Pearson decided to shift formation after a 4-3 loss at White Hart Lane against Tottenham Hotspur, moving to a back three with Leicester at the foot of the table and doomed, having been winless in eight matches, which was a victory that just so happened to be Albrighton’s only other start that season.

As part of the tactical shift, Albrighton began to be deployed as a right wing-back and he flourished for them in a side that immediately turned into one of the very best in the league.

Providing two assists and scoring two goals in their final nine games of the season as Leicester collected a staggering 22 points en route to safety, Albrighton also aided them in keeping five clean sheets in his unfamiliar role.

From a forgotten man, Albrighton turned himself into a key cog for a team that produced one of the greatest escapes in Premier League history, but his and Leicester’s impact on history didn’t end there.

Marc Albrighton, the Premier League winner at Leicester City
In May 2014, Marc Albrighton had been released by Aston Villa as Leicester gained promotion to the top-flight. In May 2015, Marc Albrighton helped Leicester pull off the ‘great escape’ having been a fringe player for large parts of the season. In May 2016, Marc Albrighton was a regular in a Leicester side that won the Premier League title.

Claudio Ranieri replaced Nigel Pearson and with a basic 4-4-2 system, with Albrighton on the left to accommodate Riyad Mahrez on the right-wing, Leicester won the title.

ranieri and schmeichel premier league title
Albrighton’s industrious way of playing and ability to take on the tactical information from Ranieri took his game to a new level as the Englishman made 38 appearances, with 34 starts, in their title-winning campaign.

On the opening day, Albrighton scored as Leicester defeated Sunderland by four goals to two, whilst also providing two of his seven assists that season – and that set the tone.

It was a tone carried through until towards the end of the campaign, too, as Albrighton scored in Leicester’s 35th game, a 4-0 annihilation of Swansea City that took them towards their hands being on the trophy.

Marc Albrighton
That team was full of eventual cult heroes and genuine stars that became legends of the club, but it also had its unsung heroes and Albrighton probably falls into that category, but he was utterly immense.

He remained with Leicester until the summer of 2024, making it a ten-year stint at the King Power, and helped them on to win an FA Cup, the Community Shield and the Championship title once again in his final campaign.

Albrighton was a signing to add Premier League experience and industry to a squad expected to battle. It ended up being one that helped Leicester pull off a minor miracle followed by a major miracle in successive seasons, before then sustaining their success.

 

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davieG

davieG

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https://www.lancashiretelegraph.co.uk/sport/25400757.tavares-blackburn-rovers-transfer-premier-league-goal/

 

Tavares on Blackburn Rovers transfer and Premier League goal

Blackburn Rovers FC
Football
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By Elliott Jackson
Blackburn Rovers Reporter
@_ElliottJackson
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Sidnei Tavares is hoping his time at Leicester City will help him instantly adapt at Blackburn Rovers, with promotion to the Premier League his main goal.

The Portuguese midfielder started his first matches at Ewood Park this week after recovering from an ankle injury sustained in training. It gave supporters a first glimpse at their summer recruit from Portuguese side, 
Moreirense.

Tavares spent his time in the youth ranks at Leicester City so England is not an unfamiliar place. He's well travelled since, having spent two stints in his native country either side of a spell with Colorado Rapids in Major League Soccer.

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"When I was a kid, I thought I'd play for Leicester my whole life, but then got to a point where I felt like it was not the right place to be anymore," he said.

 

"I've been here, I've been there, moved around a bit, but it made me much more of a person, it made me learn more about life, especially going by myself, and not having my parents around, my family,.

"That then matures you a lot, seeing how real life is. That made it good for me to experience things by myself whilst I was there and get more life experience in that sense.

"With Blackburn, it felt like the right club. Speaking to the manager, I got a feel for what the club was like. Speaking to Rudy (Gestede) about the club's objectives, my goals, and I felt it was the right fit.

"They know what I want, I know what they want and it fits perfectly so I felt it was the right match. My main goal is to get the team back in the Premier League again, like I did with Leicester."

Whilst most foreign imports need time to adapt to a new culture, fresh surroundings and different demands, Tavares is confident he'll adapt straight away.

"It's a new place for me, I'm not really used to it, but I've been here before, obviously playing for Leicester, so I'm used to it," he said.

"The language is easy, I'm used to the culture and I'm getting on well. Ot's been quite easy for me to adapt. 

"I think being tall, strong and good on the ball, good at defending, the Championship suits my playing style. I think it'll be quite easy to adap, I've been involved in English football for a long time really.

"I've done it before so I hope I can adapt straight away and I don't need any time. I feel comfortable here so I hope that's how it goes."

Tavares has been playing catch-up after a freak injury sustained in his first weeks at the club. After rolling his ankle in training, he was left surprised by the damage.

"It was something stupid, the grass was dry and my foot got stuck," he explained.

"I thought it would probably take a week, then I woke up the next day and my ankle was like a big balloon.

"I knew it wasn't good but it was a real surprise how long it was going to take. I went for a scan that day and then they called me and said I'd be out for four to six weeks.

"I was really surprised, I thought it'd be like a week. Then the next day I couldn't walk. It was a bit of a shock but, thankfully, it was only pre-season.

"I knew I'd be fit for the start of the season, so it wasn't too bad in perspective."

 

 

Hmm he played 3 times for us.

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daddylonglegs

daddylonglegs

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7 minutes ago, stu said:

Well that's a shock...

One of the harder blokes to like in football. 

 

He's had a hard break on the injury front though. He was brilliant for us before that pre-season injury. 

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ren

ren

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48 minutes ago, stu said:

Well that's a shock...

The trend of players removing a team and all pictures of the club from their social media when wanting out nowadays is so cringe. 

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foxile5

foxile5

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9 hours ago, daddylonglegs said:

One of the harder blokes to like in football. 

 

He's had a hard break on the injury front though. He was brilliant for us before that pre-season injury. 

Hilarious. 

 

He'll have played for us more than them and they were his big team, apparently. 

 

He would have been so better served doing another year with us. 

honeybradger

honeybradger

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2 minutes ago, foxile5 said:

Hilarious. 

 

He'll have played for us more than them and they were his big team, apparently. 

 

He would have been so better served doing another year with us. 

He had just come back from a major injury and got injured shortly after joining them.

 

It was the right decision for him to make the move and get the large contract when he could.

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foxile5

foxile5

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40 minutes ago, honeybradger said:

He had just come back from a major injury and got injured shortly after joining them.

 

It was the right decision for him to make the move and get the large contract when he could.

Oh I'm very aware of the context; it was only a couple of years ago. 

 

He would have better rehab equipment with us and I think he'd have played more. 

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