After their relegation from the Premier League, it was suspected that Leicester City’s squad would be picked apart, with many players who remained loyal to the Foxes during their previous foray in the Championship being linked with moves away from the King Power Stadium.
Wilfred Ndidi looks set to move abroad, and Conor Coady has joined Wrexham, but the only other area where Marti Cifuentes has seen considerable losses is his goalkeeping department, and this looks as if it will be weakened further.
Mads Hermansen Set To Leave Leicester
The Foxes‘ first-choice goalkeeper from last season, Mads Hermansen, is set to join West Ham United for a fee of €19 million, which equates to roughly £16.4 million, as per Fabrizio Romano.
Hermansen moved to the King Power Stadium in the summer of 2023 amidst intense scrutiny, after many blamed the Foxes’ mismanagement of their goalkeepers for their relegation in the previous season.
But the Dane thrived under Enzo Maresca, playing 44 league games, preventing more goals than any other shot-stopper and keeping 13 clean sheets as Leicester won the Championship.
The 25-year-old looked equally impressive in the Premier League, though an injury meant that he only played 27 games last season.
Marti Cifuentes’ side have already lost two goalkeepers this summer as Danny Ward and Daniel Iversen have moved to Wrexham and Preston North End respectively, though Asmir Begovic has been signed to provide cover in goal.
Hermansen’s departure all but confirms that Jakub Stolarczyk, who deputised for the Dane when he was injured last season, will start in goal against Sheffield Wednesday on the opening day of the season.
Writer’s View
Hermansen has proved that he is too good to be playing in the second tier over the last couple of seasons, and a move to West Ham seems to be a great fit on paper.
Alphonse Areola has struggled to fully nail down his spot as the Hammers’ first-choice goalkeeper, as he has been dropped for Lukasz Fabianski multiple times over the past few seasons. Hermansen has the opportunity to claim the number one shirt at a club that will look to challenge for European football.
As for Leicester, Marti Cifuentes has been operating with little to no transfer budget as the Foxes are on the very edge of financial regulations. Hermansen’s departure may mean that he is afforded a small amount of spending money, but the Spaniard may not choose to spend it on a goalkeeper and instead trust Stolarczyk between the posts.
