Seven players who face uncertain futures at Leicester City in January transfer window
Enzo Maresca has said any of his 25 players could leave in January, so we have picked out those whose futures are most likely to feature in the gossip columns this month
Before Leicester City make any signings this January window, players have to leave. Enzo Maresca has been clear about that.
Just like in the Premier League, there are rules in the EFL around how many players each club can have registered. For the first half of the season, all 25 spots in City’s line-up were taken.
If City get to February and those 25 are exactly the same, Maresca has said he will be happy. But will the players be happy? Maresca has said he expects some to come forward and say they would like to move, adding that the transfer window is so strange he can’t be certain of the future of any member of his squad.
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However, there are some players who are more likely to depart than others. Here, we run through the seven City squad members whose futures could feature heavily over the next month.
Daniel Iversen
From Premier League number one to fourth choice in the Championship, there’s been a sharp tumble down the pecking order for Daniel Iversen. And it’s through no fault of his own really.
He has shown himself to be a more than capable shot-stopper, but it’s about more than that under Maresca. He doesn’t have the ability on the ball to factor into the manager’s thinking.
He should attract interest. There were links to Crystal Palace in the summer and Stoke have been interested for a while. Given how he has played at City, and especially given how many points he earned Preston when on loan there a couple of seasons ago, he is more than good enough to be a number one in the Championship.
Danny Ward
Ward is in a similar position to Iversen. He’s been knocked down the pecking order too by Mads Hermansen and Jakub Stolarczyk and has not played a single minute this season.
But there’s perhaps an even greater reason for him to get out of City. Wales manager Rob Page has encouraged all of his players to make sure they are playing and in form ahead of the nation’s Euro 2024 play-offs in March, so Ward may feel he needs a new club to keep his international spot.
However, will City let Iversen and Ward go to leave themselves with just two senior goalkeepers? That will be a decision for Maresca to make.
Dennis Praet
He may have been labelled by Maresca as City’s most natural option for the number eight roles, but Praet has hardly been seen this season. A three-month lay-off with a back injury is the main reason, but since his return, he’s struggled to keep fit too.
Now, he’s entered the final six months of his contract. For the past few years, he’s been heavily linked with a permanent return to Italy, and Torino’s interest has not faded since Praet did well there on loan. With just a few months to go until he’s a free agent, he would be cheap to sign this month, and Italian clubs may firm up their interest.
Patson Daka
He was twice close to leaving City on deadline day in the summer, with switches to AC Milan and Bournemouth falling through. Then when he sat on the sidelines for a few months, it felt like a January move was inevitable.
Now, after starting six Championship games in a row, it’s not as clear cut. He may feel, having scored four goals during his run in the team, that he’s in a good position to get more minutes over the second half of the season.
However, it is a four-way battle for one spot and a month out of the picture at Afcon may mean that he slips back down the pecking order by the time he returns, meaning he may still have thoughts over his future. Equally, representing Zambia this month may mean he doesn’t get a chance to even think about switching teams.
