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Leicester City will be eager to improve on last season’s terrible title defence in the upcoming 2017/18 Premier League season. They have added several new players this window, with Eldin Jakupovic, Harry Maguire, Vincente Iborra and Kelechi Iheanacho all having joined the Foxes.
Riyad Mahrez, Demarai Gray and Danny Drinkwater have all been rumoured with moves away from the club and could still yet leave. However, right now, the Foxes are building a strong squad with a lot of quality.
Here we look at how Leicester City could line up for the 2017/18 season, if they have a full squad available.
GK: Kasper Schmeichel
Despite the arrival of Eldin Jakupovic, Schmeichel will remain number one without doubt. The Dane has improved enormously since he first played in the Premier League with Manchester City and has slowly become one of the best goalkeepers in the league.
Considering Leicester’s dreadful form last season, Schmeichel still managed eight clean sheets in 30 appearances. He will certainly be the keeper when Leicester face Arsenal at the Emirates in their first match next Friday, any other scenario would be extremely surprising.
RB: Danny Simpson
Danny Simpson has slowly become an important part of Leicester’s back four. In Leicester's title winning season, he was second choice for the first half of the season, but he gradually earned his place in the side and has never looked back.
The Manchester United graduate has since maintained his place and was first choice right back for the whole of the 2016/17 season. Even though the team were unsuccessful for the most part, he remained solid at full back, and he will keep his starting place this season.
CB: Harry Maguire
Harry Maguire was a bright prospect in a struggling Hull City side throughout last season. The Englishman played an important role in Hull’s strong finish especially, after Marco Silva arrived at the club.
He will certainly look to continue that good form into this season with his new club Leicester, and his performances last season will undoubtedly earn him a place in the Foxes’ starting 11.
CB: Wes Morgan
Captain Wes Morgan will definitely retain his place at the heart of Leicester’s defence. If the Jamaican international can replicate his form from Leicester’s title winning season, he will help keep goals out at the King Power in the forthcoming season.
As Premier League teams become familiar with Leicester’s playing style and forced Leicester into a higher line in the 2016/17 season, Morgan struggled. However, with a new defensive partner, he could once again become the force he was throughout the 2015/16 season, something Foxes fans will be desperate to see.
LB: Ben Chilwell
Ben Chilwell was a highly wanted young player with the likes of Arsenal and Liverpool having made bids for him before he even played a Premier League game. He hasn’t yet lived up to the hype with the left back being exploited easily, but it looks likely he will now be a regular starter in the Leicester team, as he was at the end of last season.
DM: Vincente Iborra
New signing Vincente Iborra will play an important part in any success for Leicester this season. The midfielder could play the role of a defensive midfielder and protect the back four, but he can also be used as an attacking midfielder as well.
The Spaniard does have an ability to score goals which must not be underestimated, but at first, he is likely to be used in a defensive role with the 29-year-old standing at 6ft 3 inches.
CM: Danny Drinkwater
Alongside Iborra will be Danny Drinkwater, that’s if he isn’t to move clubs before the end of the transfer window.
Drinkwater and Wilfred Ndidi created a formidable partnership towards the end of last season, but with Iborra being a £15 million signing, fans will be keen to see what he has to offer. Additionally, Drinkwater cannot afford to be dropped from the starting line-up as his link up with Jamie Vardy is so pivotal to the way Leicester attack.
RAM: Riyad Mahrez
Riyad Mahrez did not look the same player last season. When Craig Shakespeare was appointed as caretaker boss, the Algerian began to rekindle some form from his 2015/16 season, but his season was still significantly worse than the previous one.
This transfer window, Mahrez was strongly linked to both Arsenal and AS Roma, yet nothing has materialised. He could still make a move this summer, but currently he is still a Leicester City player, and their most creative player by far. If he stays, he has to start. He is crucial to Leicester creating opportunities and mustn’t be left out of the side.
LAM: Demarai Gray
Demarai Gray was given very few opportunities last season, which has left the Englishman debating whether to leave the Foxes. However, this could be the season where the tricky and talented winger could be given more of a run in the Leicester side. As mentioned this Leicester side lacks creativity with it mainly coming from Mahrez, but Gray will certainly offer something new.
Leicester often play with Marc Albrighton as a left sided player, and he offers a lot defensively, but for Leicester to improve on last season, they need to score more goals and Gray will help make that happen.
CF: Kelechi Iheanacho
Leciester have just signed Kelechi Iheanacho, which now gives them SIX different options up front. Iheanacho is certainly better than their other options, considering the great conversion rate he has in the Premier League. He may be slowly embedded into the side by Shakespeare but after a while, he is likely to be first choice playing just behind Jamie Vardy.
The 20-year-old Nigerian was never given a chance as first choice striker or ever given many starting opportunities at Manchester City, but he will now have his chance to prove himself at Leicester. The Foxes use an effective playing style of using somebody who plays just off the striker, with it usually being Shinji Okazaki, and Iheanacho should be able to fill that role to a better standard comfortably.
ST: Jamie Vardy
Even though the Englishman provided performances nothing like the year before, Jamie Vardy still grabbed 13 Premier League goals last season and will remain an important cog in the wheel for the Foxes. With all that went on, 13 goals wasn’t a poor return, and he will certainly improve on that amount this season.
Vardy knows there is a lot of competition for the striker position and this will help him improve and strive to stay in the starting 11 throughout this upcoming season.
