Leicester City completed the signing of Steve Howard from Derby County for an undisclosed fee in January 2008.

A powerful, uncompromising front-man with an icy nerve in front of goal, Howard became an instant hero with the Blue Army. While unable to prevent the Foxes' relegation to League 1 during his first season, he was named Player of the Year the following campaign, scoring 15 goals as City secured an immediate return to the second tier.

Born in Durham in May 1976, Howard began his career with non-league Tom Law Town before winning a move to Hartlepool United. He scored 32 goals in four seasons with the Victoria Park outfit before moving to Northampton Town for a club record fee of £120,000.

Howard's reputation as a goal-scoring target man continued to grow and, after two years with the Cobblers, he moved to Luton Town, where he won two promotions in five seasons, reaching third on the Hatters' all-time scoring list with 103 goals in 227 appearances.

Derby prized him away from Kenilworth Road in a £1million deal in 2006 and Howard repaid the faith by topping the scoring charts in his first season, scoring 19 times as the Rams won promotion to the Premier League through the play-offs.