Another club who develop young players very effectively, Leicester will undoubtedly be disappointed with their relegation from Premier League Two, especially as some of the members of that team are considered as first team prospects.
At U18 level, Leicester also struggled finishing second bottom and with a top scorer - Will Russ - grabbing just eight goals. In response to the poor performances, fifteen players have been released as they try to narrow their focus on more talented individuals.
Brendan Rodgers is well known for his player development and can boast the likes of James Maddison as a successful example of his leadership but it is fair to say the quality of players coming up from Leicester’s academy is generally a level below the Premier League.
| U23 Projected Starters | |
|---|---|
| Pos | |
| GK | Jakub Stolarczyk |
| CB | Darragh O’Connor |
| CB | Ben Nelson |
| RB | Vontae Daley-Campbell |
| LB | Shane Flynn |
| CM | Callum Hulme |
| CM | Thakgalo Leshabela |
| CM | Sidnei Tavares |
| RW | Kasey McAteer |
| LW | Thanawat Suengchitthawon |
| CF | Jacob Wakeling |
| U18 Projected Starters | |
|---|---|
| Pos | |
| GK | Arlo Doherty |
| CB | Freddie Cook |
| CB | Harvey Godsmark-Ford |
| RB | Jahmari Lindsay |
| LB | Thomas Wilson-Brown |
| CM | Brandon Cover |
| CM | Sammy Braybrooke |
| CM | Zach Booth |
| RW | Joe Wormleighton |
| LW | Jack Butterfill |
| CF | Kian Pennant |
Players in Profile - Three to Watch in 2021/2022
Sidnei Tavares
- Position: CM
- Age: 19
- Nationality: Portuguese
Tavares was fast-tracked into the first team fold in 2020, having appeared in just a handful of U23 matches, to fend off interest from Barcelona in the creative midfielder. Playing like a carbon copy of Youri Tielemens, Tavaras is a clever passer with excellent technical skills and a creative mind. He has a good long strike in the locker but mostly bases his game on passing. Also like Tielemens he struggles to get around the pitch at a high intensity making him a bit of a liability for high press systems. With Tielemens looking set to stay for another season, I expect to see Tavares given some opportunities to prove he can take over from the Belgian were he to leave in 2022.
Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall
- Position: DM
- Age: 22
- Nationality: English
Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall has spent the last two years on loan - first to Blackpool and then Luton with an impressive pre-season in 2020 squashed between the two. For Luton he quickly developed into one of the stand out players in the Championship. As a tenacious and tough tackling defensive midfielder the left-footer was a firm fans favourite and displayed a diverse skill set including long range passes, set piece taking and shooting. By the end of the year Luton fans were hailing him as the best player on their team. Wilfreid Ndidi is a terrific talent in defensive midfield and Boubakary Soumare has recently arrived but, at twenty-two years old, Dewsbury-Hall has done everything he possibly can to show he deserves more chances.
Kamal Sowah
- Position: RW
- Age: 21
- Nationality: Ghanian
Having spent three years on loan at Leuven, before finally receiving a work permit this year, Kamal Sowah has earned plenty of first team experience with over fifty matches for the Belgian side. An impressive 2020/21 campaign saw him score eight goals and add in six assists from the wide right position. A slight figure, Sowah relies on pace to supplement a neat technical game. Having returned to Leicester this pre-season he has played an active part in the first team squad and Rodgers has apparently ruled out another short term move, with the Ghanaian international set to be given an opportunity to prove he belongs at the club.