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They may be new kids on the block but Championship winners Leicester City will be determined to shake things up in 2014/15.
What happened last season
It’s the great cliché of a newly promoted team – ‘we’re not going into the Premier League to make up the numbers’. But you get a feeling manager Nigel Pearson means it.
There will be lofty ambitions in the East Midlands after Leicester City cruised to a joint-record seventh English League Championship title win. It came in quite emphatic fashion, too.
A 21-game unbeaten streak fired the Foxes into the Premier League for the first time in a decade.
Having secured promotion with six games to spare, there has been ample time for City to prepare for life back in the top flight, and if their commanding performances in 2013/14 are any indication, they could prove to be pests of Stoke City proportions.
With all the boxes ticked – including cracking the 100-point barrier – City’s preparations couldn’t have gone much smoother.
Crucial to the charge to the top, where Pearson’s men remained from Boxing Day until the final day of the season, was their attacking duo of David Nugent and Jamie Vardy. The pair combined for 36 of the club’s 83 goals, with Nugent bagging 20 of them.
A characteristic of Leicester’s title tilt was consistency, and Pearson was the greatest beneficiary of that, signing a renewed three-year deal to maintain City’s stability.
What happened in the off-season
The riches of a title victory and entry into the Premier League often prompt sweeping changes. But Leicester have opted against a player revolution and quick-fix signings, retaining a majority of the club’s key players, while shedding some necessary weight.
Among the most prevalent names to part ways are Neil Danns, who joined Bolton permanently after spending time on loan with Wanderers, while scorer of the decisive goal to seal promotion, Lloyd Dyer, has moved to Watford, and veteran Kevin Phillips has retired.
The only money exchanged was to recruit 28-year-old striker Leonardo Ulloa for a reported fee of eight million pounds. The Argentine made the switch from Brighton and Hove Albion on a four-year deal, and will provide stiff competition to Nugent and Vardy having scored 16 goals of his own in the Championship last season.
Premier League experience comes in the form of Marc Albrighton (free from Aston Villa) and Matthew Upson (free from Brighton and Hove Albion), while highly-rated Manchester United youngster Jack Barmby also signed on a free deal after a season on loan at Hartlepool United.
Why Leicester City fans should be excited about the 2014/15 season
It’s quite simple if you’re a Foxes fan Down Under – the long-term relationship of following an English team in Australia is a tough one, more so when said team is in the Championship. You now get to watch your team week in, week out.
That aside, a commanding Championship campaign and the depth in the squad, particularly up front, is exciting.
Striker Chris Wood will fly the Kiwi flag once more after being gifted his fair share of chances last season.
The main man that can carry Leicester’s 2014/15 hopes
With Leicester having forked out a club record free to attract Ulloa, there will be a burden of expectation on the shoulders of the former Almeria man.
But all eyes will be on 24-year-old Danny Drinkwater, who was named the club’s player of the season in 2013/14 and picked up a nomination in the Championship team of the year to boot. The midfielder, who cut his teeth in the Manchester United youth setup, could break into the England fold with another successful season, and will see this as his chance to cement his place in the top flight regardless of City’s result.
Special mention to Wes Morgan, David Nugent and goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel.
Verdict – striving for survival
The key goal for Leicester City will be survival, with every rung up the ladder thereafter a mere bonus. Pearson insists they have every reason to head into the season with a winning mentality, but the initial aim will be to develop some consistency and find their feet.
The Foxes’ last stay in the Premier League was short lived, with the 2003/04 season one to forget. They may find the dominance they enjoyed last season hard to replicate, but will have every confidence of making this visit a permanent stay.
It’ll be a tough initiation for City, with Everton, Chelsea, Arsenal and Manchester United among the opponents in the first six weeks, meaning Pearson’s men can ill afford to take time to settle into their new home.
Nigel Pearson, Leicester City head coach (Image: Flickr)
Leicester City squad for 2014/15
Goalkeepers: (1) Kasper Schmeichel), (12) Ben Hamer, (25) Conrad Logan, (31) Adam Smith.Defenders: (2) Ritchie de Laet, (3) Paul Konchesky, (5) Wes Morgan, (6) Matthew Upson, (15) Jeffrey Schlupp, (18) Liam Moore, (27) Marcin Wasilewski.
Midfielders: (4) Danny Drinkwater, (7) Dean Hammond, (8) Matty James, (10) Andy King, (11) Marc Albrighton, (24) Anthony Knockaert, (26) Riyad Mahrez.
Forwards: (9) Jamie Vardy, (20) Tom Hopper, (22) Gary Taylor-Feltcher, (23) Leonardo Ulloa, (35) David Nugent, (39) Chris Wood.
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