Recently relegated Leicester City are set to test the resolve of fellow League One side MK Dons, as Russell Martin attempts to plot the Foxes’ immediate return to the Championship.
The summer transfer window is kicking into gear; however, the Foxes are yet to make any additions to their first team.
Whilst the focus will naturally be on the line-up of players that will take the field next season, the off-field additions could be just as important to the club’s potential promotion push.
MK Dons Could Hold the Key to Unlock Leicester City Goalkeeping Department
According to a report from journalist Alan Nixon (paywall), Russell Martin’s Leicester City could be set to swoop for MK Dons goalkeeping coach Tom Weal. The 36-year-old is highly rated, having previously had spells at Carlisle United and Sunderland throughout his coaching career.
Mike Williamson, the former MK Dons manager and ally of the Foxes boss, is said to rate the coach highly and is likely to have played a part in his recommendation to the former Premier League Champions.
Birmingham City and Cardiff City the Blueprint for Leicester City Success
League One can be a difficult division for sides dropping from the Championship. Too often, clubs with sizeable budgets have failed to gain promotion in their first season and have found themselves swallowed up by the grind of the third tier.
However, both Cardiff City and Birmingham City ensured their stay in the league was short.
Both went about it in different ways; the Welsh side didn’t spend huge sums on big names and rather built an efficient machine that allowed them to grind their way to the top.
They may not have been crowned champions, but history won’t remember how they achieved promotion.
Birmingham, on the other hand, spent like a Championship side in League One, which is a risk. They blasted aside the opposition in an “all or nothing” approach to get promotion. Had they failed, they would likely have been in trouble.
But they were clever with the players they bought and soon found themselves back in the top tier of the EFL.
Leicester City are a behemoth at this level. Few sides in the EFL can boast Champions League or European football in their history, especially as recently as The Foxes tasted it.
Fans will bemoan swapping battles with Manchester United and Liverpool for Bromley, but the advantage will firmly be at the King Power Stadium this season.
Whichever route they take, they have stars that would not look out of place in the English top flight, so it will be an interesting season for both Martin and League One.