The Foxes got themselves a top half of the table finish last season, coming home ninth. It was a season in which they really struggled for a great deal of consistency but they had a good stretch from the end of September through to mid-December which perked them up.
They faded and fell apart badly towards the end of the season though, but they will have some cash in their pocket this summer to rebuild a bit after selling off their prize asset of Riyad Mahrez to Manchester City. What can they do with that cash?
They are keeping the faith with Claude Puel who was brought in last October to replace Craig Shakespeare, just four months after Puel himself was given the boot by Southampton. Puel ended the season with a P35 W13 D10 L12 record with the Foxes across all competitions. Leicester have dipped their toes in the transfer market with James Maddison taking a big chunk of money to get from Norwich and the same can be said of Ricardo Pereira from Porto.
They bolstered their defence with Jonny Evans from West Brom as well, as they try as hard as they can in order to hold on to Harry Maguire who the likes of Manchester United are in interested in. If they keep the backbone of their core like Jamie Vardy, Kasper Schmeichel and Maguire then they should be in a solid enough position at least push again for a top half of the table finish.
Leicester are at 4/5 odds with bet365 to finish in the top half of the table* (betting odds taken on July 28th, 2018 at 11:28 pm). It has to be a realistic target for them. Just between Maddison and Pereira two-thirds of the money that they got from the sale of Mahrez has gone but that does leave a bit of room for them to try and go out and pick up a creative number 10 to really keep them well balanced. Some extra firepower wouldn’t go amiss either for them. You can be assured that they will be looking for some fantastic bargain in the mould of Mahrez.
Top Ten Finish odds*
Leicester 8/11
Wolves 6/5
West Ham 5/4
Southampton 7/4
Newcastle 7/4
Bournemouth 5/2
Burnley 2/1
Fulham 6/1
Brighton 7/1
Watford 7/1
Huddersfield 8.1
Cardiff 14/1
* (betting odds taken on July 28th, 2018 at 11:28 pm)
Leicester are stable enough to land that top half of the table finish again. They have a pretty solid core in place and it is just going to be about adding a good couple of pieces to their ranks to help them out in staying in that position. Unless they splash big on a big-name striker, then Jamie Vardy is the solid, sensible option to be their top scorer this season.
Their biggest challenge over the summer may be trying to resist the advances for some of those core players though. Not only is a top ten finish place a realistic target for them to shoot for, but they can dream a little bigger and try for a European place. They may be a good option for Cup tournaments this season on the domestic front. There is little danger of them getting into any relegation troubles on the league front, we feel.
Fixture List
Leicester will be in action on the opening night of the new Premier League season as they get a tricky trip to Manchester United on Friday, August 10th. Making a visit to Old Trafford isn’t going to be an easy thing, but this is Leicester who will have fresh legs and plenty of optimism. The Foxes, however, are 13/2 underdogs at bet365 to get the win in the game* (betting odds taken on July 28th, 2018 at 11:28 pm).
Their other games in August are against Wolves and Southampton so that will give the Foxes a decent chance to get themselves going. Really then the line up through September and early October isn’t all that bad for them as Liverpool are the only other one of the big six teams in the league that they will face through to the middle of October. The Foxes do have it a bit rough down the final stretch though as their last three games of the term are against Arsenal, Man City and Chelsea.
Prediction
Leicester are going to be just fine this season as far as we can see. They have to show some resolve as well as some ambition in trying to hold onto their prized assets. If one or two of them go then the house of cards could start to tumble. But they do seem resistant to selling off more than the inevitability departure of Mahrez’s move to Man City and that is a credit to them in holding on to their status.
With no distractions this season we are expecting Leicester to put together a solid base of form and make another run at a top ten finish. Boss Puel was under pressure at times last season it has to be said and he is as short at 7/1 odds in the next manager to go market* (betting odds taken on July 28th, 2018 at 11:28 pm). But we see Leicester doing alright and the Frenchman lasting the season.
