Leicester City 2016-17 season review: Results, roster changes, and summer transfer targets

Few expected an easy season for Leicester City, even fewer expected them to defend the title they lifted for the very first time in 2016. But the first half of the Foxes’ campaign was little short of disastrous, and Claudio Ranieri — the affable Italian who had lifted the Premier League trophy just nine months earlier — was sacked in February, the club sitting just one point above the relegation zone.

It was an understandably controversial sacking, though vindicated by the club’s subsequent upturn in form. Ranieri’s former assistant Craig Shakespeare took charge on an interim basis, though impressed sufficiently to be handed the gig full time. A six-game winning run followed his appointment, and Leicester finished the Premier League season comfortably ensconced in mid-table. The Foxes couldn’t have hoped for too much more than that when things kicked off.

Leicester did a good job of keeping their title-winning squad together in the summer, with N’Golo Kanté their only first-team departure — the Frenchman left for Chelsea, where he went on to secure himself back-to-back Premier League medals. Jamie Vardy and Riyad Mahrez both stayed on at the King Power Stadium, and went on to play big roles in the club’s impressive run to the Champions League quarterfinals.

It didn’t help them all that much in the first few months of the season, but things certainly picked up after Ranieri’s sacking. The irony is that Shakespeare’s success effectively followed a return to Ranieri’s title-winning blueprint; it wasn’t the result of any great tactical innovation. But in retrospect, Shakespeare provided exactly what Leicester needed, and exactly when they needed it; they’d seemed to have lost their way under Ranieri, and the “back to basics” approach of his successor served them well.

There has been much speculation about what exactly brought about Leicester’s calamitous collapse, with the most salacious rumours suggesting a dressing room revolt led by senior players and Shakespeare himself. Ranieri’s own suggestion that “somebody behind me” could’ve caused his sacking did little to hush the gossip. We may never find out exactly what happened, but it seems likely that something did, something above and beyond the obvious explanatory factors.

Obvious they may be, but they’re still worthy of recapitulation. Leicester were never likely to be seriously challenging for the title again this season, with the remarkable pressure that propelled them to top spot last season having dissipated in a summer of celebration. They shouldn’t have done as badly as they did, but some kind of drop-off in form was understandable. Secondly, the loss of Kanté certainly did hit Leicester hard. He’s the kind of player who can run games single-handedly; a player who really does have the talent and industry to do the job of two men. His loss proved very costly.

Uncertainty is the only certainty at Leicester at the moment. Mahrez and Vardy both know that they’re not going to get too many more shots at a big move elsewhere, and it wouldn’t come as a great surprise to see them depart over the summer. But supporters may well take some hope from the Foxes’ late league surge. Even barring a couple of big summer departures, they should have more than enough to go on and establish themselves as a solid mid-table side over the next few seasons.

Ahmed Musa, Onyinye Ndidi, Nampalys Mendy, and Demarai Gray are all young and talented, and could well go on to establish themselves as key first-team players over the next few years. Turning towards youth is certainly a strategy that will serve Leicester well, with a handful of their current first teamers now the wrong side of 30.

Suffice to say, they shouldn’t be expecting another Champions League challenge any time soon, but there’s no reason to think they can’t make a run at the domestic cups.

Perhaps Leicester’s biggest concern is their ageing defence. Wes Morgan and Robert Huth were the rocks of their title victory, but when Marcin Wasilewski leaves on a free transfer at the end of the season, they’ll be the two oldest players in the squad. The Foxes lack serious depth at centre-back, with Yohan Benalouane their only realistic rotation option. Anderlecht’s Kara Mbodji and Sassuolo’s Francesco Acerbi are two potential targets, with both having been linked with moves to the King Power Stadium in recent weeks.

Attacking reinforcements also wouldn’t go amiss: Vardy and Leonardo Ulloa are both 30, and Shinji Okazaki — who has only scored one goal for the Foxes in 2017 — 31. Similarly, Islam Slimani — signed for a club-record fee on deadline day last summer — could be on his way out after a disappointing first season. Leicester have been linked with a move for Manchester City youngster Kelechi Iheanacho, who has fallen out of favour at the Etihad of late, though they’d face stern competition for his signature.

They will otherwise be hoping to keep their current squad together as best they can. Goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel was instrumental to their Champions League run, and attracted the interest of bigger clubs along the way. Mahrez could be on his way to Monaco, while Vardy has been linked — somewhat tenuously, we should note — with a move to Atlético Madrid. Though their sales wouldn’t necessarily be catastrophic, keeping them could be the difference between the top half and a lower mid-table finish.