Ready To Hit The Heights - Chaplin Shares City Ambitions

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Ready To Hit The Heights - Chaplin Shares City Ambitions

Conor Chaplin is aiming to help drive the standards at Leicester City and play a big part across our upcoming season after signing for the Foxes on Thursday.

2026-07-17T12:00+01:00

by Sam Jones

Published

17 Jul, 2026

Ready To Hit The Heights - Chaplin Shares City Ambitions

Conor Chaplin is aiming to help drive the standards at Leicester City and play a big part across our upcoming season after signing for the Foxes on Thursday.

Sam Jones

2026-07-17T12:00+01:00

Ready To Hit The Heights - Chaplin Shares City Ambitions

Conor Chaplin is aiming to help drive the standards at Leicester City and play a big part across our upcoming season after signing for the Foxes on Thursday.

Sam Jones

2026-07-17T12:00+01:00

Ready To Hit The Heights - Chaplin Shares City Ambitions

Conor Chaplin is aiming to help drive the standards at Leicester City and play a big part across our upcoming season after signing for the Foxes on Thursday.

Sam Jones

2026-07-17T12:00+01:00

Ready To Hit The Heights - Chaplin Shares City Ambitions

Conor Chaplin is aiming to help drive the standards at Leicester City and play a big part across our upcoming season after signing for the Foxes on Thursday.

Sam Jones

2026-07-17T12:00+01:00

Our first new recruit this summer window, the ex-Ipswich Town man arrives ahead of the Club’s pre-season trip to Spain next week, which follows Saturday’s friendly fixture against Burton Albion - potentially a first chance for the winger to be involved in our colours.

Before then, however, Chaplin is savouring the opportunity of linking up with his new team-mates and getting stuck into the business of a rigorous pre-season schedule to prepare for the Sky Bet League One campaign.

“I'm really excited to be here,” the 29-year-old told us during his first interview in Seagrave. “It's been amazing since I’ve come here, everyone’s been so welcoming.

“I’m excited to meet all the lads properly, get on the training pitch with the boys for the first time, and to experience the Manager and his staff on the grass as well. I can't wait. It’s something that really excited me.

“To aspire to be part of a group that helps get this Club back to where they want to be was a big pull for me. And then I think just to have an impact on a football club the size of this and to hopefully have success here, it's something that really attracted me to the project.”

Outlining further reasoning behind his move to King Power Stadium, Chaplin, who spent last season on loan at boyhood club Portsmouth, spoke of his admiration for the style of football City Manager Russell Martin is looking to implement.

The Worthing-born attacker explained: “The Manager was a big attraction as well with the way he wants to play, the way he sees the game, the way he speaks about the game and the passion that he has for the way he wants to play football, that was something that really interested me straight away.

“[I’ve had] a few conversations [with the Manager] and it was apparent straightaway, I think, the draw that the Manager had for me to come here. It was definitely one of the biggest reasons.

“Obviously the size of the Club, the history of the Club, [is] another reason. But I think dropping back to this level, there wouldn't have been many teams other than Leicester to make me do that and the Manager here as well.

“[It’s good to] just be a part of something and actually have a really good ambition and a purpose going into the season and the seasons ahead.”

Twenty-six goals and the League One Golden Boot was more than a decent return from Chaplin’s last season in the third tier, though he was keen to focus on the other ways he can assist the team’s progress, ensuring hard work and commitment are the bedrock of the squad.

“That'd be nice,” he replied, on if he could replicate such an impressive tally. “No promises on outputs but I think I can make some promises on hard work, in leadership, in other ways, definitely, but hopefully the output that comes after that is good as well.

“I've always been that way, really, in terms of wearing my heart on my sleeve a little bit. I'm a big lover of the game. I really enjoy and believe in working as hard as you possibly can for your team-mates, for the fans and for the Manager.

“That's something I expect of my team-mates as well, so I'm really excited to build that culture here and help have a big say and a big part in the way we want to go forward.”

With Premier League minutes under his belt from his time at Portman Road, Chaplin has no shortage of experience and is eager to bring successful times back to Filbert Way. Having tasted promotion no less than four times in the EFL, such experience could be invaluable, guiding Academy graduates through the ups and downs of a season at this level.

He continued: “I think I'm experienced in terms of the leagues, and the experiences when you have success, and also when you have disappointment, is something that really helps you understand what it takes to be successful as an individual, as a collective and as a football club.

“And I think that I understand that really well now. I think there's definitely different ways, but that's probably something that I feel I can bring. There's obviously going to be a lot of expectation, which is something that we'll have to manage.

“Emotionally as well, throughout the season, there's going to be tough times in the season. Every single season there's tough times, so it's managing those expectations and emotions within the group and then with the Club as well.

“There’s some really exciting young players here, [which is] something that I've spoken to the Manager about. To be able to help players like that is also a big driver as well. I think that's very important to give back to players that are trying to find their way in the game.

“It's also crucial for younger players to understand and see what it takes to be in successful teams and to give everything you can as an individual to help that happen.

“There are certain levels and certain standards that you need to hit every single day so that you come into the building to be successful. I genuinely believe that winning games and winning promotion is a byproduct of working every single day as hard as you possibly can. Focus on that and then the rest hopefully comes after.”

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