The Leicester City senior squad are back at Seagrave for pre-season training and so six weeks of preparation for the first game of the campaign has commenced.
Steve Cooper now gets a chance to observe first hand the players he has to work with as he plots City’s path to Premier League survival. For the squad, it’s a chance to show the boss their qualities and why they should be in the starting line-up.
For now, the focus will be on building fitness after two months off. That, and for eagle-eyed fans to pick up on any clues offered by pictures and videos from inside Seagrave. Here’s what we’ve spotted so far.
Loanees return as youngsters bolster numbers
There appeared to be 24 players involved in first-team training as the senior squad made their return on Monday. With numbers slightly down after a few summer departures and with a few players still on holiday, some youngsters were drafted in.
The Under-21s returned to pre-season training the previous Wednesday, and so it’s possible they’ve been promoted after a few days of work last week. It was no surprise to see Will Alves and Sammy Braybrooke in the senior ranks given their promise, with fans hoping to see them get plenty of pitch-time in pre-season friendlies, but also in the stepping up from the development squad were goalkeeper Brad Young, attacking midfielder Logan Briggs, and winger Silko Thomas.
Also back at Seagrave for the first time in a while were Daniel Iversen, Luke Thomas and Boubakary Soumare. The trio all spent time out on loan last season, with Thomas and Soumare away for the full year.
They will be starting afresh with Cooper. The new manager has watched nearly every City game from last season, and so will have a good idea of how to use each of the players that featured regularly under Enzo Maresca, but Thomas and Soumare will be newer to him.
Caleb Okoli will soon make it 25, but for now, here’s the full list of the 24 players who have been spotted in first-team training: Jakub Stolarczyk, Danny Ward, James Justin, Conor Coady, Harry Souttar, Ricardo Pereira, Ben Nelson, Harry Winks, Hamza Choudhury, Kasey McAteer, Stephy Mavididi, Wanya Marcal, Jamie Vardy, Patson Daka, Tom Cannon, Daniel Iversen, Luke Thomas, Boubakary Soumare, Brad Young, Sammy Braybrooke, Will Alves, Logan Briggs, Silko Thomas, Michael Golding.
Golding involved as new signing pushes on
Where new recruit Golding stands in the City squad is unknown for now. He has just one senior appearance to his name and was only promoted out of Chelsea’s Under-18s a year ago.
It felt like he would be a signing, first and foremost, for the development squad, but equally, he’s an England youth international and arrives highly-rated. He’s training with the seniors for now and maybe it’s a case of Cooper assessing his readiness for Premier League football.
Five players absent – but no surprises
Not every City player is back yet, but there are no shock absentees. The four City players who featured at the European Championship – Wout Faes, Mads Hermansen, Jannik Vestergaard, and Victor Kristiansen – are now on their summer breaks.
Also on holiday is new signing Bobby De Cordova-Reid. He signed for City just four days after landing back in the UK, having represented Jamaica at Copa America.
Number changes hint at players rising
The numbers on players’ training tops in pre-season are not always significant. Sometimes it’s just a case of throwing on a shirt that’s available, rather than an indication of the number they will be wearing for the upcoming campaign.
But nearly everybody at City had last season’s number on their shirt, but for a couple, with Nelson and Marcal both moving from the 40s into the 20s, perhaps as a recognition of their greater involvement in the first team.
Nelson, who was no.45 last season, was seen wearing no.26, which is free now Dennis Praet has left. Marcal was in no.27, last worn by Timothy Castagne. Golding meanwhile was wearing no.34, which was Lewis Brunt’s number until he was sold to Wrexham last week.
King Power take spot on neon kits
With City signing a sponsorship deal with crypto casino BC.Game to appear on the fronts of their matchday shirts, the King Power logo will instead grace the training tops. It’s fair to say they’ve caught the eye.
This season, the players will be donning a neon yellow top with grey trim when they’re putting in the hard yards at Seagrave. Hopefully, the bright flashes on the training ground will lead to bright flashes on the pitch.
