Leicester City were relegated disappointingly from the Premier League last season. A 2024/25 campaign to forget saw the Foxes finish 18th, with a clear summer overhaul needed ahead of yet another season in the Championship.
It went down to Deadline Day for Leicester to bring in second tier ‘gamechangers’. Following a poor start to the league season, with an unconvincing victory over Sheffield Wednesday and a 2-1 defeat to Preston North End, the Foxes have turned their fortune around with back-to-back wins and positive transfer business.
The Foxes finally ended the Bilal El Khannouss saga by sanctioning a loan move to VfB Stuttgart – with an option to buy of around £30 million. Will Alves was sent to Huddersfield Town in search of further development for their talented prospect. The Terriers gain the 20-year-old on a season-long loan, while Sassuolo snapped up Woyo Coulibaly for a temporary spell. Further down the first team pecking order, Sammy Braybrooke and Nathan Opoku have both joined Newport County until the end of the season.
Financial restrictions have loomed over Leicester during the summer window. With a points deduction also being rumoured, subject to a further hearing for the Foxes, Marti Cifuentes’ side’s end-of-season finish is extremely difficult to predict at the moment. Asmir Begovic had been the East Midlands club’s only incoming prior to Deadline Day. A flurry of loan signings relieved the Foxes’ fans and offered much-needed optimism on their recruitment ability.
Julian Carranza was unveiled as Cifuentes’ first signing of the day. The Feyenoord striker has signed for the Foxes on an initial loan spell and has scored five times for the Dutch outfit since a summer 2024 move from Philadelphia Union. The former Inter Miami forward will likely lead the line for Leicester as they look to target at least a play-off place.
Former Birmingham City, highly-rated prospect Jordan James was also brought in to the King Power Stadium on a loan deal from Stade Rennais, while Aaron Ramsey arrived from Burnley for a temporary spell.
Writer’s View
Leicester have been awaiting a Jamie Vardy replacement during the entire summer window. Carranza looks to be the likely candidate to try and emulate some of Vardy’s goalscoring attributes for the Foxes. The Argentinian is a similar build, but a different profile to the new US Cremonese attacker, offering excellent link-up play and a wealth of cross-continental experience.
James will be a fantastic addition to the Foxes’ midfield, partnering either Oliver Skipp or Boubakary Soumaré in Cifuentes’ double-pivot. This will likely allow Harry Winks to play further forward as a playmaking asset for Leicester, while Ramsey will add versatility to an abundance of positions. A man of the match performance against Derby County in the EFL Cup highlighted the Burnley loanee’s creativity and attacking threat.
