Leicester City manager Russell Martin is plotting a late reunion with one of his former players, as the Foxes aim to get back on track following a disappointing start to their 2026/27 League One campaign.
Since their relegation from the Championship, the Foxes have failed to win any of their opening three league games and have been knocked out of the EFL Cup in round two, following a narrow win over Northampton earlier this month.
In terms of league action, Leicester have finished August in the relegation zone of the third tier, and face a difficult run of fixtures against Plymouth Argyle, Oxford United and Stockport County in the coming weeks.
Therefore, it should come as little surprise that the club are targeting more players before the transfer window closes.
Leicester City tipped to pursue promotion-winning defender
Leicester have already secured two former Championship promotion winners in Wes Burns and Conor Chaplin already this summer, but another player has emerged on their radar, ahead of tomorrow’s deadline.
Russell Martin has previously worked with Swansea City, where he coached defender Joel Latibeaudiere – before the latter left for reigning Championship winners Coventry City.
However, with the Sky Blues now playing Premier League football and having recruited the likes of Aurela Amenda and Ethan Pinnock to further boost their defensive quality – Latibeaudiere has saw himself pushed further down the pecking order at the CBS Arena.
According to a report from the Leicester Mercury, Martin is targeting another centre-back to join the Foxes this summer and Latibeaudiere is a standout name on the shortlist of options.
The 26-year-old was limited to just 16 appearances last season as a result of injuries, though did have an eye-catching run with him featuring in 15 league games and the club avoiding defeat in each of them.
So far this season, Latibeaudiere has made just one appearance for the Sky Blues, which came during a 4-2 victory against Plymouth Argyle in the EFL Cup.
Whether Frank Lampard would be open to a Latibeaudiere exit remains to be seen, though Coventry Live have reported that the club are set to see more players leave the club before tomorrow’s deadline.
Would this be a good move for Leicester?
Latibeaudiere is a versatile defender, being able to feature as a centre-back, right-back or even as a defensive midfielder, which is where he plays for his international side Jamaica – being a teammate of current Leicester forward Bobby De Cordova-Reid.
Similarly, the 26-year-old has worked with Martin before at Swansea City and thus would have an idea of how he’d fit into the system, whilst also not needing to relocate due to the two clubs being neighbours.
Coventry have also strengthen with two out-and-out centre-backs as well as the recent loan addition of Manchester City‘s Stephen Mfuni.
That said, Coventry could shift to a back three this season and with Luke Woolfenden out injured, an exit for Latibeaudiere would leave the Sky Blues with just one covering centre-back, which could be deemed as a big risk by Lampard and thus block a possible exit.
However, from a Leicester perspective they’d be adding an experienced and versatile defender who has proven quality in the Championship and would become a leader for their younger options in the third tier.
