4 players who could follow Harry Souttar out of Leicester City | OneFootball

Leicester City's squad is proving to be way too good for the Championship, but that in and of itself is causing a few issues for some players.

The Foxes currently sit 10 points clear at the top of the second division table, and look all set for a return to the Premier League. A squad which looked tired and lifeless when it came down has been revitalised by a change in manager and a shrewd summer transfer window.

The additions of goalkeeper Mads Hermansen, Harry Winks in midfield, Stephy Mavididi on the wing; they have all vastly improved this team. But their recruiting has had some knock-on effects on some of the players who were already there.

Harry Souttar, who finished the club's relegation season in the Premier League as one of their regular starters, after joining from Stoke City in January 2023 for £15 million, has mainly been used as a bench warmer this season. He's only started in one league match, and that was against his former club in early October.

According to the Daily Record, the 25-year-old defender was the subject of summer interest from one of the giants of Scottish football: Rangers. With the Glasgow-based club unable to move on fellow central defender Ben Davies in the summer, a deal wasn't made between the Gers and the Foxes, and Souttar stayed put. His lack of gametime might make him push for a January move, and he's not the only Fox who might leave before the end of the month.

These are 4 players who could follow Harry Souttar out of Leicester City.

Kelechi Iheanacho

The collective group of strikers that Enzo Maresca has at his disposal is a joke. On top of the Nigerian international, they have Jamie Vardy, Patson Daka, and Tom Cannon; all of them could be at least good squad players for Premier League sides. The 27-year-old former Manchester City forward's contract is up at the end of the current campaign, and reports have suggested that the Foxes are willing to listen to offers around the £10 million mark.

This is according to Football Insider, who also linked current Champions League placeholders Aston Villa with a move for Iheanacho. There have also been links with Crystal Palace, who pulled out of a deal to sign the striker in the summer after they couldn't find a new home for Jean-Phillipe Mateta. The French forward reportedly still wants to get away from the Eagles, so an opening in London could emerge. Elsewhere in London, Brentford have been linked with a move for Iheanacho by TEAMtalk.

It looks like there will be plenty of suitors for the Nigerian in the January window, and Leicester seem happy to get their estimated joint-third biggest earner off their books, as per Capology, and get some cash in return too.

Dennis Praet

Like Iheanacho, the Belgian international's contract is up at the end of this season, and he has the quality to be a part of a Premier League side. Praet has played in the Champions League, the Europa League, a major international tournament, but he's only been used in five Championship matches under Maresca.

If Praet were to leave in January, the Foxes would still have more than enough quality in midfield to comfortably get through the rest of the season. With his contract slowly coming down, it wouldn't be a surprise if Leicester tried to make something off of him whilst they can.

Danny Ward

Leicester's squad is pretty much at capacity, so they need to clear out in some areas where there is a big log-jam. One of those areas is between the posts. Even with Daniel Iversen being loaned out to Stoke City in the opening week of the window, Maresca still has four senior goalkeepers in his squad.

One of the keepers that has been attracting interest from the Premier League is Ward. According to the Yorkshire Post, the Blades' new boss Chris Wilder is looking to strengthen his side's options in net, and Ward is being considered as one of the options, as per Sky Sports. But, according to talkSPORT, the Yorkshire-based side are also considering another former City player: Kasper Schmeichel.

Cardiff City have also been linked with the Welsh goalkeeper by Nixon. Their current keeper, Jak Alnwick, hasn't been very consistent with his performances, as of late. That's been represented in the consistency of his starts. In the last 10 Championship games he's been involved in, he's only started half of them.

Even though he was the mainstay keeper of a side that got relegated last season, Ward still proved himself to be a more than capable keeper at that level, and could be a good signing for either Sheff U or Cardiff.

Alex Smithies

As mentioned, the goalkeeper's room at the King Power is quite cramped at the moment. On top of Ward's potential departure, one of the other three who should look for a permanent move away is Smithies.

He hasn't played in a senior match since the back-end of the 2021/22 campaign, and, as a 33-year-old, he's not getting any younger. In that 21/22 season, for Cardiff City, he didn't light the world up. But, would a League One side who's looking for a veteran in net take him on, if he was willing to make that move? Of course they would.

He has eight seasons of Championship experience. That could be really useful to some sides in the division below. Stevenage and Carlisle United are currently battling for MK Dons' number one, Craig MacGillivray, as per Alan Nixon. One of those sides are going to end up missing out on the Scotsman, and a player like Smithies would provide instant quality to either team.