Leicester City

Nick Mashiter
BBC Sport Football News Reporter

Image source, Getty Images

Leicester boss Steve Cooper spent around 20 minutes speaking to the media after Tuesday's 2-1 friendly win at Shrewsbury.

He covered the result - earned by Stephy Mavididi and Kasey McAteer's goals - transfers, injuries and how he has found the club and the culture.

Cooper promised to immerse himself into the club and he has kept his word. From day one of his appointment last month, having written an open letter to supporters, he has tried to get under the skin of the Foxes.

After the friendly win in Shropshire he mentioned a desire to speak to former players about the club to understand it further.

He briefly spoke to Matt Elliott and Gerry Taggart - key men during Martin O'Neill's successful time - at the Croud Meadow and has plans to meet others. It shows a manager in touch with a club and a fanbase which has struggled for unity over the last 18 months.

On the pitch he was happy enough, highlighting that if mistakes were made the squad has the time and ability to learn from them.

There was a quicker tempo than under Enzo Maresca - something which will please those who found the Italian's style tedious despite it bringing the Championship title.

It was an encouraging performance, especially given Cooper has been in the door a month and had even less time with the players, all while trying to shape a squad and bring in a fresh coaching team.

We asked for your views on Leicester City's second pre-season victory and Steve Cooper's first public game in charge of the Foxes.

Here are some of your thoughts:

Jamie: There were some positives for sure! Stephy Mavididi looked lively, as did Ben Nelson, Will Alves and Michael Golding. However, if Jakub Stolarczyk is out for six months, we cannot go into a Premier League season with Danny Ward as our second-choice goalkeeper.

John: Some of the play was excellent. It looked like we were playing in a 4-3-3, fast moving through the lines and playing a high line. My concern is on the breakdown and getting punished there though. It is clear we need another forward as reliance on Vardy and Daka, if he stays, is not going to be enough. Steve Cooper is clearly connecting with the players. A few more heads and we will have enough.

We also asked for your thoughts on the 2024-25 away kit which was worn by the players in the win over Shrewsbury Town.

We get the feeling you aren't big fans... here are some of your replies:

Craig: How ugly! It looks as if they got a children's nursery to do a painting and then just stuck a sponsor and a couple of badges on it.

Ash: The colours are nice and it looks sleek. I'm not a fan of the sponsor and I'm a little disappointed that the club has sided with a name that will soon be banned from appearing on shirts. Clubs should be more ethical by keeping gambling and crypto-currency out. There are plenty of other sponsors out there.

Chris: It looks like someone has just vomited after too many beers on The Kop!

Baz: I'm not a fan. The kit looks like it was designed to maximise the sponsorship logo and nothing else.

Leicester City winger Stephy Mavididi enjoyed playing in a different role during Tuesday's pre-season win at Shrewsbury, but conceded "the gaffer threw me in".

The 26-year-old was mainly deployed on the left by previous boss Enzo Marseca but played more centrally by new manager Steve Cooper in the first half at Croud Meadow before switching to an attacking left wing-back role in the second half.

He also scored what turned out to be the winning goal, albeit from a deflected free kick.

"It was nice to change position and see a different part of my game," he told BBC Radio Leicester afterwards. "Obviously, I'm open to learning new positions and things like that, so it was good and enjoyable. I'm happy with the performance and the win.

"I back myself, so wherever the gaffer wants to play me, I will just give 100% and always try to learn.

"I thought the team played well. We are gelling together nicely with the new ideas and new tactics."

Nick Mashiter
BBC Sport Football News Reporter

Image source, Getty Images

Steve Cooper knows the Foxes need new recruits to make them ready for the Premier League. They have already made four signings - including defender Caleb Okoli from Atalanta - but the manager wants more.

They are keen on Juventus' Matias Soule for their return to the top flight after one season in the Championship.

The goalkeeping situation has also changed at the King Power with No.2 Jakob Stolarczyk ruled out for up to six months after ankle surgery.

"We definitely have to bring players in - everybody knows that," said Cooper after Tuesday's 2-1 friendly win at Shrewsbury.

"Sometimes it's not easy to do and I understand that as well. You've got to bring the right players in.

"But we've got to make sure when that first game comes we're in with a chance of being able to what we need to do in the Premier League.

"It's not as clear as saying we need players in this and that position... there are certain profiles of players and attributes we need and I'm clear on that.

"I'm not going to say we need 'X' amount of players because if you get more it sounds like there's no plan. There's a clear plan and hopefully we can get a few signings over the line and like all managers say, the quicker, the better."

A deflected Stephy Mavididi free kick and Kasey McAteer's winner came either side of an Okoli own goal in Shropshire.

Leicester City saw off League One Shrewsbury Town in their first public match under new boss Steve Cooper.

Goals from Stephy Mavididi and Kasey McAteer were enough to make it two wins out of two pre-season games for the Foxes, as the 2016 Premier League winners prepare for their return to the top flight.

Speaking to BBC Radio Leicester, Steve Cooper agreed there were some "good bits" but expects more from his team: "We had some clear objectives for the game, in terms of how we wanted the team to play, some physical returns and players in some different positions.

"There were definitely some good bits and some bits where we will think we need to do a bit better than that.

"I think the mistakes we made in the game were from the guys trying to play with our new ideas, so I'm OK with that. It is OK to make mistakes when they are trying to do what we are implementing."

The Welsh manager also explained why Jamie Vardy and Jakub Stolarczyk were unavailable: "Vards had a knock in the game against Villarreal. Unfortunately he has missed this game, but fortunately he won't be out for too long.

"We are hoping he will be back with us for the Germany camp, if not a bit after that.

"It's really unfortunate news on Jakub. He had a really innocuous injury in training and it ended up being a really serious injury. He has had to have an operation on his ankle and he will be out for a long period of time."

Nick Mashiter
BBC Sport Football News Reporter

Image source, Getty Images

Leicester goalkeeper Jakub Stolarczyk has been ruled out for up to six months with a serious ankle injury.

The 23-year-old suffered the injury in training and has undergone surgery which will keep him sidelined until next year.

Stolarczyk made nine appearances for the Foxes in all competitions last season having previously had loan spells at Dunfermline, Fleetwood and Hartlepool.

"It’s really unfortunate - he had a very innocuous injury in training and it’s ended up being really serious," said boss Steve Cooper. "He’s had to have an operation on his ankle and he’s going to be out for a long time.

"It couldn’t be any more bad luck. He’s found himself in a tough situation. He did it on the day we flew to Evian. I feel for the boy. I’ve heard some really good things about him, and how talented he is.

"The club is very well set up in terms of how they support players. We’ll get him back as quickly as possible. I think it will be around six months."

It changes the goalkeeping situation at the King Power Stadium as Danny Ward and Daniel Iversen had been expected to leave this summer.

Ward played 90 minutes in Tuesday's 2-1 win at Shrewsbury and could now stay as back up to Mads Hermansen.

Derby are interested in Iversen but the clubs remain apart on their valuation of the 27-year-old.

Image source, Getty Images

Leicester City's new away kit is now available after being unveiled on Tuesday.

The black shirt, with gold and pink splashes was worn in the club's pre-season victory against Shrewsbury Town.

The kit will be worn in the Foxes Premier League away games and the women's Super League fixtures.

What do you make of it? - let us know, external

Leicester opened their pre-season campaign with victory at League One Shrewsbury Town on Tuesday night.

What did you learn from the game?

Let us know here, external

BBC Radio Leicester's When You're Smiling offers a first chat with Steve Cooper as he gives his reaction to City's win at Shrewsbury on Tuesday.

Plus, analysis from ex-Foxes striker Matty Fryatt and analyst Dominic Wells.

Listen to the full episode on BBC Sounds

Pat Nevin
Former footballer and presenter

Image source, Getty Images

It isn't quiet in one specific part of the major football clubs - the acquisitions department.

I know that because I was once the acquisitions department - well me and the manager mostly. While each player returned from holidays like a bronzed Adonis, we were cooped up in a small darkened room, beavering the daylight hours away like vampires.

There is plenty of guesswork in the media and a fair bit of leaking from the players and their people, but the clubs usually try to keep their transfer moves as quiet as possible.

If word gets out that a player is available, they know they might lose him to another club or else the price will increase as a bidding war erupts.

‌These are high stakes games and many are impressed by those who gamble and go early.

Manchester City have always been good enough, and let's be honest wealthy enough, to be able to do this well.

The problem is that some clubs are trying to do the same thing and are ending up paying top dollar for less able players, because they haven't done their due diligence in the market.

This is another area where the use of data, or maybe over-reliance on pure data, comes into play - feed all of the numbers in, let the technology do the crunching, and out comes the answer.

The problem is that everyone else has got the same or similar data.

What is needed, of course, is good human knowledge and the vision to aid the use of the information they have got. This is why these departments should be busy just now, they shouldn't just be doing deals which are admittedly very complex legal and financial documents these days.

Even more time should be spent on ensuring the new £75m player hasn't got a hidden weakness in his game or even the odd skeleton in his closet.

Pat Nevin was writing for the BBC Football Extra Newsletter

Image source, Getty Images

On the latest episode of the When You're Smiling Podcast, former Leicester winger Matt Piper discusses Steve Cooper, who will take charge of his first game in front of fans as Foxes boss on Tuesday against Shrewsbury:

"[The expectations for the match] will be for the players to show an understanding of what he's trying to get across to them in training. He won't be saying 'lets just get the win regardless', he won't want to see that. Winning is important but it's about the system.

"Are the players taking on board what he's trying to coach and is he seeing evidence of that? I think he will. From what I understand, he's a very clear communicator and all the players that have played under him previously have loved playing under him.

"He's going to be a breath of fresh air for some of the players. Enzo [Maresca] was great, but when you have a coach like Enzo, he wants you to stick to what he's asking you so rigidly. Someone like Steve Cooper will encourage that players having more freedom.

"Morgan Gibbs-White loved playing in a Steve Cooper team because he let him express himself and move all over the pitch. I think that will be an added benefit this season, the shackles will be taken off a bit.

Listen to the full episode here

Listen to full match commentary of Leicester's friendly on BBC Sounds

The latest episode of the When You're Smiling podcast by BBC Radio Leicester has landed.

Owynn Palmer-Atkin is joined by former Leicester winger Matt Piper and BBC World service's John Bennett to discuss the Foxes' next pre-season match against Shrewsbury Town on Tuesday.

Listen to the episode on BBC Sounds here

Leicester City have made an improved £21m offer for Juventus winger Matias Soule, 21, and hope to wrap up a deal for the Argentine next week. (Telegraph - subscription required), external

Want more transfer stories? Read Saturday's full gossip column

Image source, LCFC / Plumb Images

Lead singer of Leicester-based band The Mercians Matt Cominotto says collaborating with the club for the video to announce Abdul Fatawu's permanent signing, external was the "most surreal day" of his life.

An Indie cover of ABBA's Voulez-Vous using the lyrics of Fatawu's chant - 'Fatawu (aha) running down the wing... - was used to promote the Ghanaian winger making his loan move permanent across the Foxes' social channels.

"When it all kind of came out it still didn't feel real," Cominotto told the When You're Smiling podcast. "I've been a Leicester fan for as long as I can remember.

"It's probably the most surreal day of my entire life. I still can't quite believe it's happened.

"I'm very certain in the fact you can't fall in love with a loan player so this was a double exciting one for me because they chose my band to announce it and we got Fatawu permanently. Two of the best bits of news, so surreal.

"It was an extremely stressful 16-20 hours, lots of calls to producers. We just so happened to manage to find a guy near us who could accommodate us in the next hour or so. He just so happened to be in an ABBA tribute band so was the perfect man for the job. We pulled the track out of the bag and I think we did it justice. Big track to follow and massive player for the fans to celebrate.

"We went to Leicester the next day so it was a very stressful but very exciting day.

"When we got to the studio we thought 'we cannot rip off the original track' because it was an opportunity to get our sound out there."

Keeping Fatawu at the club is a major coup for Leicester as they prepare for a Premier League return. The 20-year-old played a key role in winning the Championship title last season, making 40 appearances, scoring six goals and registering 13 assists.

"I was terrified when he [Fatawu] turned up because if he didn't like it he wouldn't have to tell us he did like it," Cominotto added. "He's a footballer at the end of the day and they can do what they like.

"But, he absolutely loved it. As soon as I realised he loved it I was in a good mood. What a footballer, he can just offer something different. I'm very surprised he didn't get snapped up by one of the big clubs but thank goodness he stuck with us."

Listen to the full episode on BBC Sounds

Image source, Getty Images

It seems inevitable a host of Premier League managers will point to fixture congestion in the months to come.

When injuries mount, or when time on the training ground is squeezed, coaches often reference the intense nature of the calendar.

But research conducted by the respected CIES Football Observatory has delivered data which shows clubs are - on average - not playing more competitive games than they have in the last couple of decades.

The CIES looked at 677 clubs across 40 leagues. In looking at a period from 2012 to 2024, its findings show in 2023-24, the average club played 42.4 competitive matches. In 2014-15 that figure was 42.6 and in 2020-21 it hit 43.9.

And if focus is placed on sides competing in the Champions League, data gathered between 2000 and 2024 also shows sides are not setting fixture records in the current game, as some managers may like to loosely imply.

In looking at the five major European Leagues, the CIES claim Champions League competitors played an average of 50.8 matches last season.

In 2020-21 they averaged 57.9 and in 2002-03 they contested 55.2.

Manchester United played in 52 competitive games last season, down from highs of 71 in 2020-21 and 66 in 2008-09.

Across all of the clubs analysed, only 4% played more than 60 games last season. In 2012-13, the figure stood at 5.1%.

While clubs may play added friendlies and - it would be fair to say - individual matches tend to be longer given increased injury time in the current game, the data shows that competitive fixture numbers are flat or have in most cases fallen, even if disgruntled managers say otherwise.

The full study is here, external

We asked for your views on Abdul Fatawu signing a permanent contract with Leicester City and whether or not you think the winger will fit into new manager Steve Cooper's plans.

Here are some of your thoughts:

Kay: I'm really happy with all of our signings, but especially with Abdul. I think Steve Cooper has a very good squad to work with and hopefully we can overcome all of the obstacles and penalties we may face in our first season back in the Premier League.

Tim: Fatawu was a tremendous asset for us last season. He just needs to have a bit more confidence to beat the full-backs not just once, but all game.

Blaz: Let's hope Fatawu can keep his discipline in check. He had some very silly outbursts of frustration last year, but hopefully he has learned from those mistakes. The microscope is about to be magnified in the Premier League, big time.

Mike: It is brilliant to have finally done the deal. He is a fantastic player with loads of potential. I think he will be a great signing for Leicester.

Kiran: Finally it has been sorted! I am so relieved. One more piece of good news coming from the club.

Deano: Great news. Abdul is already popular with the fans and he even has his own song! I'm glad that I will still be singing it next season.

John: It is going to be a hard season but, with Steve Cooper in charge and all of the new signings, I think we will be fine.

Leicester City have made an offer of £21m plus £4m in add-ons for 21-year-old Argentina attacking midfielder Matias Soule, but Juventus want at least a guaranteed £25m. (Gazzetta dello Sport - in Italian), external

Want more transfer news? Read Wednesday's full gossip column

Image source, Getty Images

Italian football journalist Lorenzo Bettoni has been discussing new defender Caleb Okoli on BBC Radio Leicester's When You're Smiling podcast:

"He has the most important skill set which is physicality and pace.

"The Premier League is very challenging physically, more than Serie A, and the first thing you need to have is strong physicality to be up to the task, to win challenges, to win duels, so the starting point is good.

"It depends on the project and how the new coach will decide to use Okoli, but he can be quite versatile. He can work pretty well with the backline but I think he needs to improve a little bit in this aspect.

"He is very quick but inside the box he still has a few things to improve, but if he works with this pressure and gets accustomed to this kind of pressure then it can be an exciting move for Leicester City."

Former Foxes player Matt Heath added: "Thinking about a Leicester City defender and what they're going to be up against, they are going to be backs against the wall and not have a lot of possession. We are going to need players like Caleb Okoli in our team.

"We are going to need to win those physical duels. We are going to need to be able to turn and get there first, make those big headers and big tackles. That is really positive [that Okoli is able to do that].

"Lorenzo spoke about the technicality and improvements he might need on the ball, but are we going to have that much possession of the ball? Especially early on in the season when we are just trying to grasp our feet in the Premier League, probably not, so maybe it just might suit his style of play."

Listen to the full episode on BBC Sounds

Image source, Getty Images

Leicester City owner Khun Aiyawatt 'Top' Srivaddhanaprabha has received an Honorary Doctorate of Laws from the University of Leicester for his "successful stewardship" of the football club.

Khun Top became CEO of duty-free retailer King Power and chairman of Leicester City in 2018 following the tragic passing of his father Khun Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha.

Under his chairmanship, Leicester City won the FA Cup for the first time in their history in 2020-21. The Foxes have also qualified for European football a number of times, reaching their first European semi-final in the Europa Conference League in 2021-22.

The owner has also seen the Foxes through some more difficult times, including their relegation to the Championship in 2022-23, but his stewardship saw Leicester City reclaim their spot in the English top-flight at the first time of asking.

After accepting his honorary doctorate at De Montfort Hall on Tuesday, Khun Top said: "I am truly grateful to receive this honour from the University of Leicester - an institution of our city that shares our commitment to excellence, service to our communities and positive social change.

"My congratulations to all of this year's graduates on their outstanding achievements which are the result of years of dedication to their respective fields of expertise.

"I hope their time in the city of Leicester has taught them that everything is possible."

Jack Rafferty
Leicester City presenter at BBC Radio Leicester

Image source, Getty Images

This is the one Leicester City fans have been waiting for.

After Abdul Fatawu's loan spell at King Power Stadium, the supporters already know they are getting a real talent who plays with pace and flair, getting them off their seats time and time again last season.

They say you should never fall in love with a loan player, but that was easier said than done with Fatawu.

He not only provided six goals and 13 assists in the Championship title win, but did so with a huge smile on his face, backflipping to celebrate at every opportunity he could - whether he'd scored the goal or not.

His moves on the pitch, combined with his dancing off it, made him an instant fans' favourite.

At just 20, he has the potential to be a huge star for the Foxes in the Premier League.

To have him signed permanently on a five-year contract is huge news for the club as the team returns to the top flight.

Image source, Getty Images

Abdul Fatawu says it feels "amazing" to be staying at Leicester City after a successful season-long loan spell with the Foxes last season.

The 20-year-old winger has made the permanent move from Sporting Lisbon, swapping the Primeira Liga for the Premier League.

He impressed in the Championship last season - making 40 appearances, scoring six goals and registering 13 assists - as Leicester ensured their return to the Premier League at the first time of asking.

Speaking to the club website, external, the Ghana international revealed why he has "so much motivation" to represent the Foxes in the English top flight: "It is just something new to me and I am going to go hard for that. With the team and everything, I think we are going to be good.

"Last season was amazing and one of the best moments of my career. I just want to keep going. I feel so proud [of my performances last season]. I take it as the beginning because I am just getting started.

"It feels so good to play under the fans. They always give more energy and they motivate you to do more, so they are the best.

What do you make of the news, Leicester fans? Are you relieved that the permanent deal has been confirmed? And how you think Fatawu will fit into Steve Cooper's plans?

Let us know your thoughts here, external