Early Premier League Predictions: Who Goes Down?
By Tanish Menon
3. Leicester City
Had you asked a Leicester City fan back in 2016 where they would be six years on, it certainly wouldn’t be the mess they’re going through right now. The Foxes have conceded 16 goals inside six games, their worst defensive record in nearly 40 years.
When they finished fifth in 2021, they did so with a defensive core of goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel and center-backs Jonny Evans, Wesley Fofana, and Caglar Soyuncu alongside fullbacks Ricardo Pereira and James Justin.
Kasper Schmeichel signed with Nice this summer after nearly 11 years with the club alongside Wesley Fofana, who moved to Stamford Bridge in a deal worth £75million.
The only positive is keeping hold of James Maddison and Youri Tielemans for another season could prove to be vital. The Foxes, however, have struggled to bring in proper replacements for the duo and currently sit bottom of the table without any wins and five draws.
Add to the fact that Brendan Rodgers’ role at the club is also under a massive amount of uncertainty. The only player Leicester spent a transfer fee to acquire this summer was Reims center-back Wout Faes, but he’s only just arrived.
In a summer in which the Premier League smashed all spending records, Leicester acquired Faes and backup goalkeeper Alex Smithies from Cardiff City and that’s about it. The Foxes have spent a ton of money on upgrading the training facilities, which were unveiled last year, and are avoiding panic buys this time around.
However, with every club investing heavily in the team Leicester City could find themselves in a pretty dangerous situation come to the end of May.