Steve Cooper has stressed the need for Leicester City to be “Premier League-ready” and on the eve of their first match against Tottenham, last season’s Championship winners appear far from it.
Leicester are currently undercooked for their top-flight return and facing a crucial two weeks as they scramble to find quality signings before the transfer deadline.
The situation is complicated: Leicester were charged with an alleged breach of the profitability and sustainability rules (PSR) by the Premier League in March and are under pressure to be very careful with their finances.
Though there are funds for new players, Leicester are having to box clever in spreading the budget around and it is proving difficult to complete deals.
Frustration will have increased late last week when the other two clubs promoted from the Championship - Ipswich and Southampton - made a number of signings.
Away from the transfer window, there is also growing tension among the fanbase over myriad issues including the club’s financial situation, a perceived lack of communication and accountability, season ticket prices and future strategy.
Against this chaotic backdrop, Cooper is preparing for the new season with Leicester written off by many pundits as relegation certainties.
He was appointed in June as Enzo Maresca’s replacement and his past association with rivals Nottingham Forest means he needs to make a good start.
Cooper’s plans for the visit of Tottenham have been disrupted by injuries, with no senior strikers expected to be fit.
Jamie Vardy has an outside chance of inclusion in Monday’s squad but it is not guaranteed. Fellow forward Patson Daka is definitely out, as is Conor Coady, the experienced defender.
Leicester have signed five players since winning promotion but they desperately need more. Behind the scenes, the club hierarchy is remaining calm and will ask to be properly judged on Aug 31 when the window has closed.
Yet there is no question the summer has been difficult so far, with a number of targets going elsewhere.
Matías Soulé, the former Juventus No 10, was identified as a priority target by Cooper and the recruitment team.
Cooper spoke extensively with Soulé about moving to England and, after a second, improved bid of around £22 million, there was optimism that a deal could be struck.
However, the influence of Soulé’s agent and his close links with Roma swung the deal in that direction to leave Leicester frustrated.
It can be revealed that Leicester submitted a £13 million bid for Gabriel Sara, the Norwich City midfielder. That offer was turned down and Sara has since moved to Galatasaray for a higher fee.
A move to sign Bayer Leverkusen’s Adam Hlozek collapsed last week - the player has moved instead to TSG Hoffenheim - while Leicester’s bid to sign another top target, Panathinaikos forward Fotis Ioannidis, will require a fee approaching £30 million.
An ambitious move to lure Wilfried Zaha back to the Premier League has also proved problematic with the structure of the loan deal and potential tax implications. It is understood Zaha would have to pay in excess of £8 million from his own pocket for a move from Galatasaray to proceed.
Leicester have offered £4 million for Crystal Palace forward Jordan Ayew and remain interested in Arsenal’s Reiss Nelson, though the player’s wages are significant and more than £120,000 a week.
Tottenham’s Oliver Skipp is set to complete a move after Monday’s game, but Leicester need attacking players.
It now seems inevitable that the final fortnight of the window will be hectic: this is despite Leicester’s Championship season finishing on May 4, with Maresca’s defection to Chelsea just under a month later (77 days before Monday’s date with Tottenham).
To be heading into the season so short in key areas is alarming, and underlines the paucity of Leicester’s transfer budget.
With the club facing a potential points deduction for breaching PSR, fingers are being pointed and particularly at Jon Rudkin, director of football.
A long-serving key member of staff since the 1990s, Rudkin has overseen the Premier League title win, FA Cup triumph of 2021, and the relegation last year.
And what of Cooper? A coach first and foremost who comes alive on the training pitches, he is relishing the challenge.
He was dismissed by Forest in December and spent the six months out of work wisely.
Over that time he visited a number of clubs abroad, including in Germany and Spain, to broaden his education. He undertook a personal audit with analysts to scrutinise many facets of his management, including recruitment, fitness levels of his teams and player performance.
“I certainly wasn’t wanting the break or ready for one. It was only halfway through the season [the Forest sacking], but it was one that I had no choice with,” he said.
“It gave me the chance to do some different things in terms of improving professionally and I guess through all of that process I’ve added to my confidence and self-belief.
“All of my experiences put you in the situation you’re in today and then it’s all about using them wisely, recognising that the bad or unfair moments can end up being the best moments for getting better.
“For me, it’s about hoping the best is yet to come. That’s my personal motivation. My goals and ambitions haven’t changed and, if anything, I’m even more confident about achieving them now and I’m really excited by and committed to this challenge.”
