Leicester’s title defense didn’t exactly go to plan in 2016-17. With Craig Shakespeare in charge, how will the Foxes respond this season?
INS: Kelechi Iheanacho (£25 million), Vicente Iborra (£13.5 million, Sevilla), Harry Maguire (£12.3 million, Hull), Eldin Jakupovic (£2 million, Hull)
OUTS: Ron-Robert Zieler (£3.6 million, Stuttgart), Bartosz Kapustka (loan, Freiburg), Marcin Wasilewski (released), Michael Cain (released)
THE STORY: Two seasons ago, Leicester completed one of the greatest upsets in the history of sports, winning the Premier League a year after narrowly avoiding relegation. The title hangover hit the Foxes hard last season, as they slipped to a 12th-place finish (though they also made an impressive run to the Champions League quarterfinals).
The Foxes won’t have to deal with the distraction of European competition in 2017-18, which should help as they try to climb back into the top half of the table. However, that won’t be an easy task for new manager Craig Shakespeare, who took over from the title-winning Claudio Ranieri in February of last season.
Shakespeare has an aging squad featuring six regular starters over the age of 30, and his best player, Riyad Mahrez, is hoping to leave the club by the end of the transfer window. Whether Mahrez stays or not, Shakespeare will need to find ways to introduce more young players into the starting XI.
The team itself is solid enough. Kasper Schmeichel is a dependable option in goal, and while center-backs Robert Huth and Wes Morgan are old and struggling with injuries, Harry Maguire, bought from relegated Hull, should help solidify the defense.
The 24-year-old Maguire seems nailed on to start, while 20-year-old Ben Chilwell began to emerge as a viable option in the first team last season. Those two, who are both strong in possession, could form the basis of a younger side that’s less dependent on rapid counter-attacks than the side that won the title.
The Foxes’ attack is also full of aging players — Jamie Vardy, Shinji Okazaki and Leonardo Ulloa are all in their 30s, and Islam Slimani is 29. Vardy should be good for around 15 goals next season, after scoring 13 in a very inconsistent 2016-17. But Shakespeare will also be hoping for a big first season from new signing Kelechi Iheanacho. The 20-year-old was extremely impressive in the limited opportunities he was given at Manchester City, but limped of injured 18 minutes into his Foxes debut. Assuming he gets fit soon, his development will be one of the more interesting subplots to Leicester’s season.
The one area Shakespeare’s side don’t have to worry about an aging squad is in midfield. They have a talented, and possibly underrated group of players. Andy King, Marc Albrighton and Danny Drinkwater should continue to be regulars for Shakespeare, and Nampalys Mendy could be in line for a bigger role after injuries derailed his 2016-17 campaign. Sevilla regular Vicente Iborra, a defensive midfielder who can also play center-back, was also signed this summer and could push Drinkwater and King for minutes.
However, the players really worth keeping an eye on are Demarai Gray, Daniel Amartey and Wilfred Ndidi, all 22 or younger and with a ton of potential. Gray, a winger, should be in line for a bigger role, and could be Leicester’s primary creative threat if Mahrez leaves.
Amartey and Ndidi could be caught up in a logjam in defensive midfield, but Shakespeare would be wise to give them plenty of opportunities. The Foxes aren’t realistically going to challenge for a European place this season. They should use the opportunity to start building for the future. Ndidi was impressive after arriving from Genk last season and provided the Foxes with a shot in an arm after the January transfer window closed.
KEY PLAYERS: With Huth and Morgan both on their last legs, Maguire will have a big role to play. The Englishman was one of the few bright spots for Hull last season, and excelled after Marco Silva took over at the turn of the year. As well as being strong defensively, he showed real poise on the ball and became an important part of the Tigers’ buildup.
Musa and Slimani were bought prior to last season for more than £40 million and combined for only nine league goals. While they weren’t the only ones to blame for the Foxes’ poor form during the first half of the season, both have a lot to prove. The good news is they’re talented enough to be difference-makers in the Premier League, and with Leicester now a little further from the spotlight, they should be under a little less pressure.
The big question, personnel-wise, is whether Mahrez will stay or not. Leicester have reportedly been looking for at least £40 million for the former PFA Player of the Year, and are happy to keep hold of him if they don’t receive such an offer. The Algerian, coveted though he is, has a lot to prove after a bad season, whoever he’s playing for. If he does leave, the door could open for Gray to have a breakout year. One way or another, Mahrez will have a big impact.
THE MANAGER: Shakespeare was named interim manager after Leicester fired Claudio Ranieri on Feb. 23, after losing the first leg of their Champions League round of 16 tie with Sevilla. Leicester were slipping toward the relegation zone, but Shakespeare made an immediate impact.
Leicester picked up four consecutive league wins and came back to eliminate Sevilla in their Champions League second leg. Shakespeare was rewarded with a three-year contract after the season, which will allow him to start shaping a post-title course for the Foxes. Whether he’s capable of that is hard to say.
Shakespeare’s success last season appeared to owe much to the fact he wasn’t Ranieri, whom the players seemed to have turned on. Under Ranieri, Leicester experimented with different formations but found little success. Shakespeare switched back to the 4-4-2 that won them the title the previous season, and is likely to take a similar approach in 2017-18.
If things aren’t going to plan, however, it’s hard to know how Shakespeare, who’s entering his first season as a manager after a decade as an assistant, will react.
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BEST CASE: With no European distractions, Leicester can focus on the Premier League and finish in the top half of the table.
WORST CASE: Leicester continue to regress following their Cinderella season and find themselves in a relegation battle.