Group of 33 to be cut to 25
CLUB DECIDING WHO TO LET LEAVE IN NEXT TWO MONTHS
A SIGNIFICANT number of exits are expected at Leicester City over the next two months as the club look to whittle down a group of 33 to fit their 25-man Premier League squad.
While only a portion of City’s senior squad are back in training at Seagrave at the moment, with the international players to arrive at a later date, manager Brendan Rodgers knows he has far too many to work with ahead of the new campaign, especially with the club still to sign a number of players.
City were one of only five clubs to fill every spot in their 25-man Premier League squad last season, and while Eldin Jakupovic’s departure vacated a slot, Wesley Fofana now requires one, as he no longer qualifies for the under-21 list.
In total, City have 33 professionals on their books who were born before January 1, 2001, and so would require registration if they are to play in the Premier League in the upcoming season.
Many of those swelling the number are those just back from loan spells in the EFL, and they have the most work to do to convince Rodgers they deserve one of the highlycoveted spots.
Otherwise, another loan, or potentially a permanent exit, beckons.
While City need to cut eight players from the current group just to get down to 25, they will need to let others go too, given their plans for a “healthy shake-up” of the squad.
Rodgers wants to bring in five or six new faces as part of his revamp.
If players remain at the club, but are not registered, then they will be restricted to Carabao Cup fixtures or Premier League 2 games as one of the permitted over-age players.
This was the case for Papy Mendy in the first half of last season.
Before the summer break, Rodgers had already told a few members of his squad that their careers would be best served away from City, especially with the schedule not so busy.
He said: “It’s very difficult. I’ve already spoken to a number of players on that.
“We played 19 cup games, which is half of a season of games.
“Like what I’ve always done here, we’ll always give everything in the cups. But we’re a European competition down next season. It’s very difficult.
“The players’ behaviour and how they’ve focused over the course of the season has been great. But it’s always a challenge because players want to play, and if they’re not playing…
“I also think there’s maybe been players here that need for their own careers to get more game time.
“If they really want to push themselves as players and go and show they can have a career in the game, it’s probably beneficial for them that they can go and get some game time.
“Having no European football next year means less games and less opportunities.”
City’s 33 players are listed below. Luke Thomas was born in 2001, and qualifies for the under-21 list.
Goalkeepers: Kasper Schmeichel, Danny Ward, Daniel Iversen, Jakub Stolarczyk
Full-backs: Ricardo Pereira, Timothy Castagne, James Justin, Ryan Bertrand
Centre-backs: Jonny Evans, Wesley Fofana, Daniel Amartey, Caglar Soyuncu, Jannik Vestergaard, Lewis Brunt
Central midfielders: Wilfred Ndidi, Papy Mendy, Hamza Choudhury, Boubakary Soumare, Youri Tielemans, Dennis Praet, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, James Maddison, Khanya Leshabela, Callum Wright, Thanawat Suengchitthawon
Wide players: Marc Albrighton, Harvey Barnes, Ayoze Perez
Strikers: Jamie Vardy, Kelechi Iheanacho, Patson Daka, George Hirst, Josh Eppiah