Ahead of transfer deadline day: Leicester fans on the one position the Foxes should sign
Whether you’re setting your sat nav to go sit in a club car park a la Peter Odemwingie, tracking private jets or mentally preparing to hear Sky Sports presenters say the same headlines every hour on a loop: It’s almost time for another transfer deadline day.
We asked fans for the one position or player we should sign before the window slams shut.
Centre Back, Centre Back, Centre Back, Repeat
Iain Wright
I was tempted to go down the Bart Simpson writing lines on a blackboard route, and simply send in rows and rows of CENTRE BACK, CENTRE BACK, CENTRE BACK! We've been that poor in that position that even a 2025 Ryan Bennett would potentially be an upgrade.
Yes, we have to somehow bring a centre back in. Again.
Ruud has worked hard to reduce the 'number of shots faced' column each game, but we still can't find the elusive clean sheet. Even Sunday's improved result, and to be fair, performance, still involved a poor goal given away. No clean sheet pizza for this defence.
Looking at the squad, I'm not sure why Caleb Okoli has been discarded, but maybe if he went on loan, we could loan someone in? We can then reassess in the summer with Okoli, Ben Nelson and an opportunity to try and sign a 'new Fofana'? I'm not sure we're in a position to buy what we need right now, but we have to do something.
It'll be the difference between relegation or safety.
The obvious need, an almost annual need
Harry Gregory
A central defender.
Obviously, in such a predicament last time, we went out and got Robert Huth whom provided a solidity badly needed at a soft centre.
While we need a central defender this time, they need to be athletic, speedy and straight off the mark. If we can sit someone with the ability to push up and sweep up in behind from errors or the channels, it would be a huge help.
Lloyd Kelly at Newcastle has been subject to all sorts of bids, loan deals and transfers but he's still not left. He's quick, he's left footed, very few games at Newcastle this season and can be play left-back.
Maybe a bit ambitious but if we are supposedly throwing £25m towards Milan for Strahinja Pavlović, why not do it for a player who won't need to adjust to the pace of the division?
Start the revolution
David Bevan
To be a bit contrary, I’m going to stick to the same thing I’ve said for most of the past six or seven years and say we need a winger first and foremost.
In fact, practically the only time during the past few years when we had a decent threat on either side of the pitch was last season with Mavididi and Fatawu terrorising Championship defences. The fact that we’ve stepped up a level, Fatawu is out for the season and Mavididi has struggled for form surely demonstrates we need quality in those areas.
To finally win a game at the weekend was great but Ayew and Reid won’t keep us in this division. We desperately need to present a threat going forward in all games. A centre-back might not fix our defence but a winger could help revolutionise our attack.
Fresh, younger legs
Becky Taylor
It's ridiculous that centre back or striker are the positions we are most in need of, but here we are.
We have plenty of centre backs but you could make a case for every single one of them being not good enough for the dog fight we find ourselves in. I am certain if we hadn't let Ben Nelson go out on loan he'd have stepped up, not got injured (maybe a bit hopeful considering the Seagrave curse), and we wouldn't be so desperate for a centre back.
The sheer number of goals we've shipped this season is enough to make it clear we need a centre back to sure up the defence, but we spent £15M on one who doesn't get in and is already looking for an exit 6 months later. So, have we got the minerals to bring someone in that will improve the team on a good deal??
Ultimately, a 38 year old striker being so heavily relied on is a disaster waiting to happen so a striker seems just as vital. That said, the club must not believe this. Having let Tom Cannon go I expect it very unlikely we bring another in. Viva Odsonne Edouard it is!
For me, it's key we bring SOMEONE in purely to continue to freshen things up, but vitally, NOT giving some has-been a 3 year contract to not improve the team.
More Abdul, less Tete
Helen Thompson
Just one pick is a tough given the gaps in the squad. We could keep saying centre back, but Okoli hasn’t panned out and it just feels like we’re shuffling the same issues around different bodies.
Had we not just let Cannon leave, a striker would be high on the list. When we have opted to play two up top, it’s looked promising and makes up for the lack of wingers, but Ruud doesn’t seem to fancy Daka that much and our utter reliance on Jamie Vardy cannot last much longer. Even for such a Goat.
So it has to be a winger. Preferably young and with pace but we are missing the ability to get a good cross in from the width like Marc Albrighton always guaranteed. It’s the right wing especially if we have to pick a side, ease the plight of James Justin and bolster the attack.
One more for the wing
Jamie Thorpe
I suspect a majority of my fellow contributors have gone with centre-back, so in the interest of offering something slightly different, I will say we need a right winger.
We know the defence is a bit suspect (in what is possibly the understatement of the century), but our goalscoring in recent games hasn't exactly been exemplary. In my view, a lot of this is a simple case of the personnel available.
Abdul Fatawu is currently still one of our most productive outfield players statistically, and he has been out for a while now. It is not unfair to say we haven't been able to replicate his threat with the ball.
A player who can come in and add some real attacking intent would allow us to be a bit more front-footed and take some pressure off an often beleaguered defence.
