You know those mornings when you wake up and try to piece the previous night together? That’s what Leicester City’s season still feels like, and it’s been two months since they won the Premier League. Every word in the dictionary has been used to describe their season and the improbable outcome of it, but many of us in the Premier League world are still trying to make sense of how it all happened.
Let’s start at the beginning. Leicester survived an improbable relegation battle last season that resulted in them going to Thailand to celebrate the fact that they remained in the Premier League. Days later, a video surfaced showing Nigel Pearson’s son (player of the youth academy) and his friends in what was described as a “racist orgy” by many outlets. Long story short, Pearson was out and in came Claudio Ranieri, a coach that failed with the Greece National team. Everyone hated the move, including ex-Leicester star Gary Lineker, who called the hiring “uninspiring”. A few snarky comments and a lot of tactical brilliance later, Leicester City became the biggest underdog to win the title.
Last Season in Brief
Last season was obviously incredible, but the fantasy results from Leicester were also quite superb. Some of the more impressive stats to keep in mind for going forward:
- Jamie Vardy was tied second in the league in goals at 24. Obviously incredible and he will try to build upon it, but my guess is there will be regression to the mean there, especially with Leicester City now playing in the Champions League.
- Riyah Mahrez finished with 17 goals and 11 assists, finishing fifth in the league in both, but a similar story applies as with Vardy and I expect lesser results next season.
- Wes Morgan and Kasper Schmeichel were two of the three players to play all 3420 minutes in the Premier League last season. Schmeichel can obviously keep it up at the goalkeeper position, but with Wes Morgan being a big part of Jamaica’s National Team and with Champions League around the corner, he won’t be able to play every single minute again next season.
- Daniel Drinkwater finished with 2,928 passes – a team high. His two goals and seven assists were a huge understatement to how important he was to Leicester, but the fantasy potential isn’t there due to this style of play. He will continue playing heavy minutes with N’Golo Konte leaving.
- Marc Albrighton registered a cross for every 10 minutes of play. That’s an average of nine crosses per full match, and you can continue exploiting that next season in leagues that reward points for crosses.
The Summer So Far
Busy. The biggest story of the Premier League this summer was arguably Jamie Vardy staying at Leicester City. Multiple teams, including Arsenal, went after the striker, and as we all know small clubs always sell. But Leicester City decided that they would take advantage of a once in a lifetime opportunity and try to stay amongst the elite. They offered Vardy a ton of money, the chance to play in the Champions League, and a nice story to persuade him to stay at Leicester. With the star player remaining, they’ll be fighting for a top four spot again next season.
On top of that, the Champions brought in 23-year old Ahmed Musa. The winger will fit in perfectly at the club and is the type of player that adds depth without really removing anyone important from the starting lineup. If anything, he could decrease Albrighton’s playing time. The other big signing was Nampalys Mendy, who has experience playing for Ranieri before as a youngster. He is only 21 years old and will be a work in progress who may not contribute a lot this season, but he’s someone capable enough to step up during injury ridden periods. Overall, Ranieri has stayed true to his statement that he isn’t going to go out and buy stars but instead continue building his team through players that fit, both personality wise and tactically. If he continues winning, you really have to give him credit for sticking to his plan and not getting tempted to sign another star.
Remaining Summer Business
Reports this morning have confirmed that N’Golo Kante has reached an agreement with Chelsea and will complete a transfer. There aren’t any players of Kante’s caliber that can step in right away, so Ranieri will have to get creative, but this will be the biggest hole to fill in the roster. I would not be surprised if Ranieri already has a plan, but whether he can successfully fill the gap is still up in the air. If backup striker Leo Ulloa leaves, he will also need to be replaced, especially with outcast Andrej Kramaric already leaving. The next biggest hole will be a backup center-back. Wes Morgan and Robert Huth barely missed playing time, but with more competitions to play in, there will be a need for a reliable backup center-back. Ranieri will need to spend here.
Salary Cap Superstars
Marc Albrighton – The winger could lose a little bit of playing time to newcomers but he will still be an integral part of this team and his contributions are often under-played. He will be cheaper than his worth at the beginning of the season.
Kasper Schmeichel – Leicester’s defense improved noticeably throughout the season and Schmeichel is guaranteed heavy playing time as the top goalkeeper. My prediction is that he will be even better in fantasy this upcoming season and people will too busy spending up on Vardy and Mahrez to spend some cash on Schmeichel.
Christian Fuchs – Fuchs was arguably one of the best full-backs last season once he won over the starting spot. He didn’t play a full season and I’m hoping that discourages some people from being afraid to spend on him. He should be the top scoring defender for Leicester and it won’t be close.
Draft Details
Jamie Vardy – In draft leagues, if Vardy falls to spot four or lower, he can be pursued, especially in leagues that value goals. Even with a slight decrease in playing time and a slight regression, Vardy will be a monster next season and with the enhancements in midfield, his service can improve.
Christian Fuchs – Here too, Fuchs will likely be undervalued. I love his upside and floor in the upcoming season, and I will be taking him as one of the top defenders off the board.
Riyah Mahrez – It’s hard to tell how much Mahrez will regress but with free-kick duty, I expect him to still be great. I wouldn’t take him with a top three pick, but if he falls to the end of the first round, I don’t mind Mahrez at all.
Prediction
Leicester will finish in 8th place this upcoming season after waking up from last season’s dream.
