Injuries, player availability and transfers latest

[davieG]

Merc

Leicester City could be dealt another injury blow as they await the results of scans on midfielder Andy King.

City manager Nigel Pearson has admitted he is now down to the bare bones of his squad.

King was seen on crutches and in a protective brace at the King Power Stadium on Tuesday during the FA Cup replay win against Nottingham Forest.

He had picked up an Achilles heel injury in the home defeat to Barnsley last Saturday.

Pearson fears the Wales international could be out for weeks and not just days.

City are already without strikers Jeff Schlupp and Darius Vassell to long-term injuries, while Martyn Waghorn is not fit after a hamstring injury, and several other squad members have niggles.

With Sol Bamba and John Pantsil away on international duty at the African Cup of Nations, and young defender Liam Moore cup-tied, City could only fill six spots out of seven available on the substitutes bench against Forest.

Although midfielders Gelson Fernandes and Moreno have been released, Pearson has so far been unable to recruit during the transfer window.

"Andy is on crutches and we will have to see how bad that is," said Pearson.

"It clearly is not going to be a matter of days, it will be longer than that. We will deal with it, simple as that.

"There is a bit of a misconception in terms of how big the squad is. Yes, I have trimmed it down in terms of a number of players we feel are not going to play a part, so we have moved them on.

"We have suffered one or two injuries which have been disruptive.

"I have never been one for making excuses in terms of sizes of squads. Sometimes a smaller, tight group can work for you and too many players can be a hindrance.

"The fluidity of how you develop a squad will always be based on the circumstances. For instance, the perception, and certainly the priority, when I arrived was that we didn't have a lot of options in wide areas.

"Then Schlupp got injured and Waghorn is still a doubt for the next few weeks, then Steve Howard was suspended, so all of a sudden we were very short in forward positions.

"These things change very quickly. Our aim throughout this window is to strengthen the squad if we can in a way which can give us positive outcomes in the short-term."

Leicester City boss Nigel Pearson has vowed to step up his attempts to bolster his squad before the transfer window closes.

City have made unsuccessful moves to sign Doncaster Rovers striker Billy Sharp and Hull winger Cameron Stewart, as well as reportedly making a bid of around £750,000 for Fleetwood Town's in-demand striker Jamie Vardy.

Hull have rejected two bids for Stewart, while Rovers manager Dean Saunders has said Sharp has told him he does not want to join City, despite the two clubs agreeing a fee.

So far City have not been able to recruit any players and, with numbers diminished through injuries and international duty, Pearson said he will step up his efforts during the final two weeks of the window.

"I did say I would like to do business early but we haven't been able to do that, but it has not been through the want of trying," he said.

"It is a difficult window to operate in. If I was a manager of a club who was having bids put in for their players, I would be pretty resilient in terms of denying potential buyers.

"We have to be pragmatic about how we go about our business. We have tried to do business but unfortunately have been unsuccessful, but we will try to make inroads and strengthen the squad we have.

"I would like to think, with the players we have here already, and if I can add to that over the next couple of weeks or so, the remainder of the season will be a brighter proposition."

If you've been injured and it wasn't your fault then you can visit some <a href="http://www.irwinmitchell.com/OurOffices/Pages/Leicester.aspx">solicitors in leicester</a>.

[Mission Unlikely Promotion]

By eck it sounds like we are dropping like flies

[THEFATBASTARD]

fooking hell, i'll get me boots, the fatbastard is ready to answer the inevitable call.

[Jace]

Im glad we got a small squad at the moment makes it much easier for Pearson to reshape and build the squad so many times over the years new managers have come in to Leicester with a massive squad unable to work out the deadwood from the talent.

[Ric Flair]

Gutted for Kingy, he's never been one to suffer from injuries. He's been below par this season but we'll miss the Andy King he can be, which is a dangerous goalscorer and midfielder. Hope it's not as bad as first feared but sounds like a season ruiner for him.

[StanSP]

Hope Kingy makes a full recovery pretty soon, but I'm not holding out much hope for that.

Without any disrespect, I genuinely forgot Vassell was still with us!

[TrentFox]

Merc

Leicester City could be dealt another injury blow as they await the results of scans on midfielder Andy King.

City manager Nigel Pearson has admitted he is now down to the bare bones of his squad.

King was seen on crutches and in a protective brace at the King Power Stadium on Tuesday during the FA Cup replay win against Nottingham Forest.

He had picked up an Achilles heel injury in the home defeat to Barnsley last Saturday.

Pearson fears the Wales international could be out for weeks and not just days.

City are already without strikers Jeff Schlupp and Darius Vassell to long-term injuries, while Martyn Waghorn is not fit after a hamstring injury, and several other squad members have niggles.

With Sol Bamba and John Pantsil away on international duty at the African Cup of Nations, and young defender Liam Moore cup-tied, City could only fill six spots out of seven available on the substitutes bench against Forest.

Although midfielders Gelson Fernandes and Moreno have been released, Pearson has so far been unable to recruit during the transfer window.

"Andy is on crutches and we will have to see how bad that is," said Pearson.

"It clearly is not going to be a matter of days, it will be longer than that. We will deal with it, simple as that.

"There is a bit of a misconception in terms of how big the squad is. Yes, I have trimmed it down in terms of a number of players we feel are not going to play a part, so we have moved them on.

"We have suffered one or two injuries which have been disruptive.

"I have never been one for making excuses in terms of sizes of squads. Sometimes a smaller, tight group can work for you and too many players can be a hindrance.

"The fluidity of how you develop a squad will always be based on the circumstances. For instance, the perception, and certainly the priority, when I arrived was that we didn't have a lot of options in wide areas.

"Then Schlupp got injured and Waghorn is still a doubt for the next few weeks, then Steve Howard was suspended, so all of a sudden we were very short in forward positions.

"These things change very quickly. Our aim throughout this window is to strengthen the squad if we can in a way which can give us positive outcomes in the short-term."

Leicester City boss Nigel Pearson has vowed to step up his attempts to bolster his squad before the transfer window closes.

City have made unsuccessful moves to sign Doncaster Rovers striker Billy Sharp and Hull winger Cameron Stewart, as well as reportedly making a bid of around £750,000 for Fleetwood Town's in-demand striker Jamie Vardy.

Hull have rejected two bids for Stewart, while Rovers manager Dean Saunders has said Sharp has told him he does not want to join City, despite the two clubs agreeing a fee.

So far City have not been able to recruit any players and, with numbers diminished through injuries and international duty, Pearson said he will step up his efforts during the final two weeks of the window.

"I did say I would like to do business early but we haven't been able to do that, but it has not been through the want of trying," he said.

"It is a difficult window to operate in. If I was a manager of a club who was having bids put in for their players, I would be pretty resilient in terms of denying potential buyers.

"We have to be pragmatic about how we go about our business. We have tried to do business but unfortunately have been unsuccessful, but we will try to make inroads and strengthen the squad we have.

"I would like to think, with the players we have here already, and if I can add to that over the next couple of weeks or so, the remainder of the season will be a brighter proposition."

No mention of Johnson anywhere in that. Does anyone GENUINELY know what the score is there ? Are we just stuck with his wages until the end of season ? Is he getting fitter ? Is NP willing to give him a chance ? Is he even able to play first team anymore ? Or are we trying to get out of the situation ?

[Guest]

and our big hope of a signing is a fleetwood player!!!!

At least Sven had the charisma to attract players.

[Happy Fox]

and our big hope of a signing is a fleetwood player!!!!

At least Sven had the charisma to attract players.

What is your beef against Non league players did you some of our most successful signings came in the lower leagues during the MON era. Jamie Vardy is actually a very good player 20 goals in 22 app isn't bad.

[Mack]

Problem solved!

[RobHawk]

Don't know if i missed something but what about Moussa as well! Looked good at Donny last year and while wouldn't be my 1st choice is surely worth a place in the squad! Especially considering our lack of width!

[Jimmy]

Don't know if i missed something but what about Moussa as well! Looked good at Donny last year and while wouldn't be my 1st choice is surely worth a place in the squad! Especially considering our lack of width!

not fit atm

[liamsm]

and our big hope of a signing is a fleetwood player!!!!

At least Sven had the charisma to attract players.

And luck how expensive and rubbish they are, Rather have a few cheap young ambitious players than expensive lazy/useless players just here for the money

[Danno]

And luck how expensive and rubbish they are, Rather have a few cheap young ambitious players than expensive lazy/useless players just here for the money

So Peltier, Schmeichel, Nugent, Bamba, St Ledger, Konchesky and Beckford have been rubbish? Hahaha

[cc_star]

and our big hope of a signing is a fleetwood player!!!!

At least Sven had the charisma to attract players.

Sorry I've completely mis-remembered the season so far & it completely slipped my mind that we're actually runaway league leaders, rather than limping along with a team of misfits who for the dollar & not much else.

Since relegation in 2004, I'd have much sooner adopted the path that clubs like Swansea, Reading & Norwich in recent years, players who want to play for the club & not just the wages or a celebrity manager, players who form a close-knit team and so on and so on.

[Corky]

Gutted for Kingy, he's never been one to suffer from injuries. He's been below par this season but we'll miss the Andy King he can be, which is a dangerous goalscorer and midfielder. Hope it's not as bad as first feared but sounds like a season ruiner for him.

Agreed, players go through especially quiet spells and dips in form but he can recover that.

It did seem as though Danns was comfortable in the centre so maybe he and Wellens can form a partnership, but we'll need King at some point in the future.

[cc_star]

So Peltier, Schmeichel, Nugent, Bamba, St Ledger, Konchesky and Beckford have been rubbish? Hahaha

For every Peltier there's a Ball, for every Schmeichel there's a Kirkland or Ricardo, for every Nugent there's a Bednar for every Konchesky there's a Bruma

The man had more misses & hits and even his 'hits' haven't achieved anything like expectations... Old, old ground.

[Guest MattP]

and our big hope of a signing is a fleetwood player!!!!

At least Sven had the charisma to attract players.

Go and watch X Factor with the rest of the Sven crowd.

[woddyuk]

And luck how expensive and rubbish they are, Rather have a few cheap young ambitious players than expensive lazy/useless players just here for the money

funny that, prior to forest game,even with most the team strugling for lack of form/confidence, most of svens so called shit players have been our best performers. Konch,pelts,nugent,kasper,danns. The poorer performing ones,were nigels own doing . Gally + wellans,king (ok if carrying injury why pick him and make it worse?) lets move fwd from forest now we know we can play nd go and turn over Soton.

[davieG]

Merc

Andy King is hopeful he will play again this season, but Leicester City manager Nigel Pearson does not know when the midfielder will return.

Pearson said King's heel injury was still being assessed and he could not put a time scale on when the Wales international will be back in action.

But he admitted it would be a number of weeks before he was fit again.

"He will be out for a while but, until it settles down, we don't know exactly how long," said Pearson.

"But it will be a matter of weeks, there is no doubt about that.

"It is unfortunate for him. He finished the game against Barnsley and the next day it developed into what it is in terms of how he felt.

"We are going to have to be prepared to miss him for a while."

Pearson added: "I hope he will be back later in the season but it would be wrong to put a time-scale on it.

"I can't give a definitive answer on how long. But it will be a number of weeks."

City will travel to St Mary's Stadium for this evening's clash with league leaders Southampton with a lengthy injury list.

Darius Vassell (knee) is out for the rest of the season and Pearson is also without Martyn Waghorn, Matt Oakley and Frank Moussa. He has also said that Michael Johnson is also not fit enough to play.

He also has an injury doubt over defender Aleksandar Tunchev, who has a groin problem.

"We have got what we have had before," said Pearson, who could name only six substitutes for the FA Cup replay with Nottingham Forest last Tuesday night.

"Whether Tunchev travels with us or not remains to be seen because he has a minor groin problem, but we will be operating with the same sort of group as last week."

Conrad Logan is likely to be named on the bench as City's substitute goalkeeper after returning from his loan spell at Rotherham United.

His return to the club follows Chris Weale's loan switch to Northampton Town on Friday.

Young goalkeeper Adam Smith has also been recalled from his loan at Lincoln City.

"Conrad has come back from a loan spell where he has had quite a lot of game time this season, while Chris has hardly had any game-time," explained Pearson.

"We felt it would be in his interest to go and get some games. That is why we have recalled Adam Smith back from Lincoln."

[Guest Col city fan]

fooking hell, i'll get me boots, the fatbastard is ready to answer the inevitable call.

Oi! Get in the queue mate

Col City has made himself available for selection...

[Ric Flair]

Merc

Andy King is hopeful he will play again this season, but Leicester City manager Nigel Pearson does not know when the midfielder will return.

Pearson said King's heel injury was still being assessed and he could not put a time scale on when the Wales international will be back in action.

But he admitted it would be a number of weeks before he was fit again.

"He will be out for a while but, until it settles down, we don't know exactly how long," said Pearson.

"But it will be a matter of weeks, there is no doubt about that.

"It is unfortunate for him. He finished the game against Barnsley and the next day it developed into what it is in terms of how he felt.

"We are going to have to be prepared to miss him for a while."

Pearson added: "I hope he will be back later in the season but it would be wrong to put a time-scale on it.

"I can't give a definitive answer on how long. But it will be a number of weeks."

City will travel to St Mary's Stadium for this evening's clash with league leaders Southampton with a lengthy injury list.

Darius Vassell (knee) is out for the rest of the season and Pearson is also without Martyn Waghorn, Matt Oakley and Frank Moussa. He has also said that Michael Johnson is also not fit enough to play.

He also has an injury doubt over defender Aleksandar Tunchev, who has a groin problem.

"We have got what we have had before," said Pearson, who could name only six substitutes for the FA Cup replay with Nottingham Forest last Tuesday night.

"Whether Tunchev travels with us or not remains to be seen because he has a minor groin problem, but we will be operating with the same sort of group as last week."

Conrad Logan is likely to be named on the bench as City's substitute goalkeeper after returning from his loan spell at Rotherham United.

His return to the club follows Chris Weale's loan switch to Northampton Town on Friday.

Young goalkeeper Adam Smith has also been recalled from his loan at Lincoln City.

"Conrad has come back from a loan spell where he has had quite a lot of game time this season, while Chris has hardly had any game-time," explained Pearson.

"We felt it would be in his interest to go and get some games. That is why we have recalled Adam Smith back from Lincoln."

Poor me, pour me, pour me another Drinkwater.