Leicester City transfer state of play on deadline day with Odsonne Edouard deal consideration.
Concerns around PSR mean Leicester City’s business may be limited on deadline day..
Leicester City approached last summer’s deadline day with an open mind, hoping to opportunistically pounce on a deal that emerged during the final few hours of the window. That is their stance again today. But this time, they will be more cautious.
Firstly, because of the summer business, restrictions around Profit and Sustainability Rules (PSR) mean there is less wiggle room in the budget. Secondly, they won’t want a repeat of the deadline-day recruitment of Odsonne Edouard, who has come in and barely featured.
Any transfer is a gamble, but City need to be as sure as they can be that any player they bring in improves the starting line-up. It’s not worth a further dent to their PSR calculations to sign a player that won’t make a difference. In that scenario, it’s better to leave Ruud van Nistelrooy with the squad he has.
Having signed Woyo Coulibaly, they now have at least two fit players in every position, or at least will do when Wilfred Ndidi makes his comeback, possibly this Friday. They don’t need cover.
What they need are players who could improve the starting line-up. A winger will be a focus, given they miss the raw speed and ability in one-v-ones that Abdul Fatawu gave them, van Nistelrooy describing him as a “massive loss”. A centre-back will also be considered given City’s defence continues to leak goals at an alarming rate.
City will have to be alert to the rapidly-changing circumstances at all clubs on deadline day in the hope that a player they feel ticks the right boxes becomes available and is affordable. But as things stand, it is more likely than not that they will end deadline day without any new signings. Certainly more than one arrival would be a huge surprise.
