According to a study, Leicester City’s last-minute acquisition of Odsonne Edouard did not meet the team’s requirement for a new striker.
On deadline day, at midnight, City loaned the Crystal Palace forward, providing manager Steve Cooper with a much-needed strike partner to complement Jamie Vardy and Patson Daka. But according to a LeicestershireLive survey of more than 1,400 City fans, it’s the team that needs the most work when the January transfer market opens.
When asked which position needed to be strengthened in the upcoming season, most supporters felt that the forward position required it the most, with 65% of them believing that an addition up front would have the most impact. A new attacking midfielder was deemed necessary by supporters in second place, despite their vote percentage being only 15%. A new full-back was ranked third, with 13% of the vote.
It may come as a surprise that attacking midfield is still regarded as the second-biggest priority considering that the two attacking midfielders City signed in the summer are thought to be their most intriguing new additions. When asked which of City’s new arrivals was the best summer acquisition, Facundo Buonanotte emerged victorious with 49% of the vote, followed by £20 million Moroccan international Bilal El Khannouss with 16%.
Overall, City’s transfer window was sufficient. The middle of our five alternatives, “okay,” was how 46% of respondents characterized it. In the meantime, 26% of fans thought it was “good” or “excellent,” while 28% said it was “poor” or “abysmal.”
The fans’ confidence in the season’s outcome has marginally increased as a result of that business and their first three Premier League performances. 52 percent of fans said they were “about the same” optimistic as they were prior to the start of the season, but 30 percent said they felt more confident than they were a month earlier, while 18 percent said they were feeling more pessimistic.
If safety was achieved, that would be a job well done for Steve Cooper. There is more positivity than negativity towards the new manager right now. While 46 per cent of supporters said they were ‘indifferent’ over his first few months in charge, 35 per cent said they were ‘quite happy’ or ‘very happy’, while only 19 per cent said they were ‘quite unhappy’ or ‘very unhappy’ with Cooper.
It’s a more even split when it comes to happiness with the club’s hierarchy and ownership. Again, more fans selected ‘indifferent’ than any other category, with 30 per cent choosing the middle of five options, but 38 per cent of supporters said were between ‘quite happy’ and ‘very happy’, while 32 per cent ‘quite unhappy’ or ‘very unhappy’ with City’s leadership.
