Leicester City: 6 free agents still available that could enhance the current squad
We looked at six free agents Leicester City could consider following the closure of the transfer window.
Leicester City has had a strong start to the Championship season, despite their recent defeat against Hull City.
The club made several important transfers during the summer, including the addition of striker Tom Cannon.
The Foxes could consider signing free agents like Daniel Ayala, Craig Cathcart, Josh Onomah, Jesse Lingard, Tariqe Fosu, or Andre Ayew to further strengthen their squad.
It has been an excellent start to the season for Leicester City in the Championship.
The Foxes suffered their first defeat of the campaign as they were beaten 1-0 by Hull City at the King Power Stadium on Saturday, with Liam Delap’s 15th-minute strike sealing all three points for the Tigers.
But prior to that, Enzo Maresca’s side had won their opening four league games and they head into the international break sitting third in the table, level on points with second-placed Ipswich Town and one point behind leaders Preston North End.
After a busy summer at the club which saw the arrivals of Harry Winks, Conor Coady, Mads Hermansen, Stephy Mavididi, Callum Doyle, Cesare Casadei, Yunus Akgun and Abdul Fatawu, Leicester completed their transfer business with the addition of Everton striker Tom Cannon for a fee of £7.5 million.
There were also a number of high-profile exits following relegation, including James Maddison, Harvey Barnes and Youri Tielemans, but the Foxes did manage to hold on to key players such as Wilfred Ndidi, Kelechi Iheanacho and Jamie Vardy.
With the transfer window now closed, we looked at some of the free agents Leicester could consider to strengthen their squad.
Daniel Ayala
With just one clean sheet from their opening five league games, the Foxes could look to bolster their defence.
In the absence of Conor Coady, who is expected to be out until the end of September, Jannik Vestergaard has partnered Wout Faes at the heart of the defence, while January signing Harry Souttar appears to be out of favour.
While Coady’s return will be a huge boost for Maresca, any setback for the 30-year-old in his recovery or further injuries for other players could leave him light at centre-back.
Ayala is a free agent after his release by Blackburn Rovers this summer, departing after three years at Ewood Park.
The Spaniard, who won promotion to the Premier League with Middlesbrough in 2016, has struggled with injury in recent years, but if he can stay fit, he would be an incredibly solid and reliable player for Leicester to have in the squad.
Craig Cathcart
Cathcart is a defensive alternative the Foxes could consider.
The 34-year-old is a free agent after his departure from Watford this summer following a nine-year spell at Vicarage Road, in which he won two promotions to the Premier League and spent six years playing in the top flight.
Cathcart made 29 appearances in all competitions for the Hornets last season, captaining the side on a number of occasions, but he was not offered an extension by new manager Valerien Ismael.
The Northern Ireland international may not be a regular at the King Power Stadium, but he has excellent Championship experience and like Ayala, would be a dependable option at the back.
Josh Onomah
Midfielder Onomah is available after his exit from Preston North End.
Onomah provided one assist in 13 appearances for the Lilywhites after arriving at Deepdale on a short-term contract in January, but he was released by the club this summer.
The 26-year-old spent time on trial with Stoke City during pre-season, but he was not offered a deal by Alex Neil and remains on the market.
Onomah has proven his ability at Championship level, achieving two promotions with Fulham in 2020 and 2022 and that experience could be invaluable to Leicester, while he would bring quality and creativity to the Foxes’ midfield.
Jesse Lingard
Lingard would definitely fall into the ambitious category, but Leicester are one of the clubs that may be able to convince the midfielder to drop down to the Championship.
The 30-year-old is a free agent after a disappointing spell at Nottingham Forest last season in which he scored two goals and provided two assists in 20 appearances in all competitions, falling out of favour over the course of the campaign.
Lingard is currently training with former club West Ham United, where he spent a successful loan spell during the 2020-21 season, but it remains to be seen whether the Hammers will offer him a contract following their strong start to the Premier League season.
The Foxes have proven to be an appealing prospect for big names this summer, as demonstrated by the signings of Winks and Coady, so Lingard may not necessarily be out of reach.
Tariqe Fosu
Fosu left Brentford this summer after three-and-a-half years in West London.
The winger struggled for game time towards the end of his time with Thomas Frank’s side and he spent last season out on loan with Stoke City and Rotherham United.
Fosu has proven his ability at Championship level and he scored four goals and provided four assists in 49 appearances in all competitions as the Bees were promoted to the Premier League in the 2020-21 season.
Leicester have plenty of depth in the wide areas with Mavididi, Fatawu, Akgun, Marc Albrighton, Kasey McAteer and Wanya Marçal-Madivadua, but Fosu would strengthen their options further.
Andre Ayew
It was a frustrating stint at Nottingham Forest for Ayew last season and he departed the City Ground this summer after failing to score in 13 appearances for Steve Cooper’s side.
But Ayew has an impressive goalscoring record throughout his career and he enjoyed two prolific seasons at Championship level for Swansea City in the 2019-20 and 2020-21 campaigns, scoring 15 and 16 league goals respectively.
After the signing of Cannon, Maresca may now be content with his forward options, but Ayew would provide even more firepower for the Foxes in their pursuit of promotion.
