As much as Leicester City want to stay in the Premier League this season, they have to, given their standing, have half an eye on a potential relegation and a campaign in the Championship.
City would want to come straight back up, and would be in a better position to do so if they planned ahead.
Squad building will perhaps be the biggest part of that planning. They need to establish which positions they would need to strengthen and that will be determined by the positions they retain players in.
It can be expected that quite a few players move on, either because City need sales to get themselves in decent financial shape regarding Profit and Sustainability Rules, or because they have players reluctant to drop into the Championship.
But there will be a good handful who stay too. City lost 13 senior players the last time they were relegated, and if it’s the same number again, they would leave themselves a decent squad of 15.
For a start, here’s eight players who seem very likely to stay in the event of relegation and who can form a core part of the group if City do fall into the Championship.
Jakub Stolarczyk
After his performances this season, plenty of supporters would be happy to entrust Stolarczyk with being the club’s number one should Mads Hermansen move on.
Especially if City go down, it feels like the Pole would be ready to be the main man between the sticks.
Woyo Coulibaly
Only signed this January, it would be a surprise if Woyo Coulibaly was to leave so soon. Fans have only seen a few glimpses of the French full-back so far, but he looks eager to get involved and keen to attack.
He’d been playing in Serie B with Parma before earning promotion last season, so is not unaccustomed to playing in the second tier either.
Ben Nelson
A rotation option during last season’s Championship triumph, and now back from injury and in the Oxford squad as they battle for survival, Nelson would be a contender to start if City are relegated.
The young centre-back has shown he has a bright future ahead of him and it would be the time to show faith in that potential.
Oliver Skipp
A £20m summer signing, it’s safe to say this season hasn’t gone to plan for Skipp. He left Tottenham for minutes, but can’t even get onto City’s bench at the moment.
Having signed a five-year contract, it’s unlikely he will be going anywhere. But in the Championship, he can establish himself as a key player. He was in the Championship’s team of the year when he helped Norwich win the title while on loan with the Canaries.
Abdul Fatawu
Fatawu is in the same bracket as Hermansen and Bilal El Khannouss as having the right mix of talent and potential to be playing outside of the second tier.
However, his ACL injury likely means he remains with City as he will still be in the latter stages of his rehab during the summer transfer window, putting off potential suitors.
Will Alves
Getting his first taste of senior football with Cardiff, Alves has shown flashes of talent, enough to be in the first-team picture if City do drop down.
Hopefully he will be more confident and more weathered to senior football come the start of the new season, and can really kick on.
Kasey McAteer
He’s not featuring at the moment, but it would not be a surprise if McAteer comes back into the fold should City drop down a division.
He was deputy to Fatawu and Stephy Mavididi last season, but popped up with a few goals. He’d never previously played higher than League Two before that, so it was a decent campaign for a relatively-inexperienced player. He may be able to offer even more next term.
Jake Evans
Ruud van Nistelrooy has said prodigious forward Evans will be in the first team come pre-season no matter which division City are in, with the 16-year-old then handed the opportunity to show he deserves to stay there.
The top scorer in Premier League 2 despite his age, it seems likely he will pass any tests with flying colours and be a part of the senior squad, especially if City drop into the Championship.
There’s plenty of his team-mates in the Under-21s who will also be contenders to form part of the squad if City are in the second tier, especially Jeremy Monga, but there are doubts over his long-term future at the club as Man City circle the winger.
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