Leicester reaping rewards of late season surge with new arrivals
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Leicester defied Premier League convention in 2014/15 by escaping relegation having propped up the table for the vast majority of the season and now things really are looking up for the Foxes.
Nigel Pearson has wasted no time starting the process of strengthening for the new season in a bid to avoid giving themselves a similar mountain to scale to ensure survival.
A big part of that amazing escape which saw Leicester win seven of the last nine games – having previously gone three months without a win up to the end of December – was the capture of Stoke defender Robert Huth on loan at the end of January.
The German brought much-needed solidity to the Foxes’ rearguard and the Midlands outfit have now moved to make Huth a permanent fixture at the King Power Stadium.
Even before Huth had sealed a permanent switch, Leicester had brought in Austrian international left-back Christian Fuchs, 29, on a free from Schalke.
The 66-cap defender is well used to the Champions League having notched three times in the competition, which included a goal in Schalke’s shock 4-3 victory at Real Madrid in March.
But the latest signing is sure to be the most exciting for Foxes fans. Mainz highly-rated striker Shinji Okazaki is set to join the Premier League outfit having notched 29 goals in 70 games for the German club.
Okazaki has previously been linked with moves to several English clubs but has chosen Leicester for his new home.
His pedigree at international level is unquestionable. The 29-year-old is third on the list of all Japan’s all-time scorers having registered 43 times in 93 appearances.
Leicester are now as short as 1/6 to escape relegation next season.
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