Our Next Chapter Takes Shape As Summer Window Closes

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Our Next Chapter Takes Shape As Summer Window Closes

When the transfer window closed in the later hours of Tuesday evening, the last pieces of a busy summer had fallen into place.

2026-09-03T17:40+01:00

Our Next Chapter Takes Shape As Summer Window Closes

When the transfer window closed in the later hours of Tuesday evening, the last pieces of a busy summer had fallen into place.

2026-09-03T17:40+01:00

Our Next Chapter Takes Shape As Summer Window Closes

When the transfer window closed in the later hours of Tuesday evening, the last pieces of a busy summer had fallen into place.

2026-09-03T17:40+01:00

Our Next Chapter Takes Shape As Summer Window Closes

When the transfer window closed in the later hours of Tuesday evening, the last pieces of a busy summer had fallen into place.

2026-09-03T17:40+01:00

Our Next Chapter Takes Shape As Summer Window Closes

When the transfer window closed in the later hours of Tuesday evening, the last pieces of a busy summer had fallen into place.

2026-09-03T17:40+01:00

Now, as Oxford United prepare to visit King Power Stadium on Saturday (3pm BST kick-off), Leicester City Manager Russell Martin has a new-look squad at his disposal – one which has already begun to show signs of what it is to come.

Fourteen new faces in total have arrived over the past two months, injecting youth, experience and plenty of competition for places into our First Team squad. And after the first victory of the Sky Bet League One campaign arrived in midweek, with Academy graduate Will Alves and exciting loan signing Harry Howell on target in a 2-0 win over Plymouth Argyle, there is already something to build on.

Four of those arrivals came on Deadline Day. Striker Emil Riis was the headline addition up front, bringing with him the record of 12 goals last season and the distinction of having been Bristol City’s 25/26 leading scorer. The Danish forward was introduced to the Blue Army before watching on as Alves and Howell secured the points.

For Riis, however, individual numbers are not what brought him to Leicester. “The aim is to get promoted,” he said. “I want to help with that, I don’t have personal goals, I’m just here to fight for the Club.”

Valuable experience followed later in the evening. John Lundstram arrived on a two-year deal after leaving Turkish Süper Lig side Trabzonspor, bringing with him the knowhow of four promotions and major honours won during his time in Scotland.

“We all know what the goal is this season and I’m looking forward to trying to help the team achieve it,” he told us after agreeing terms.

Then came two more additions to give Martin further selection considerations. Kamari Doyle joined on a season-long loan from Brighton & Hove Albion, adding youthful energy to the midfield, while Warren O’Hora arrived from Hibernian on a three-year deal to strengthen the backline.

The Irish defender has experience of domestic and European football with Hibernian, and judging by his first few days at Seagrave, he will not be short of appetite for the battles ahead.

“I despise losing,” he explained this week. “I want to play a certain style. Winning is absolutely everything to me. I’ll never give up. I’m a bit of a warrior.”

It is an attitude which neatly articulates one of the themes running through the summer and indeed our strategy to the window in general. While Deadline Day provided the conclusion, the foundations of Martin’s squad had been taking shape for weeks.

The Manager was appointed before the beginning of pre-season and, from there, the work began to assemble a group capable not only of competing, but of growing together.

Conor Chaplin was the first through the door in mid-July, immediately bringing the experience of three promotions with Ipswich Town, importantly including League One, and a reputation for setting high standards. His arrival also offered an early indication that recruitment would be about more than what a player can do with a football.

Personality was a factor too and that balance has remained evident throughout the summer. Liam Cullen and Wes Burns – a former team-mate of Chaplin’s who contributed to Ipswich’s rise – added more expertise, while other additions have introduced the sort of youthful potential that can develop alongside the demands of first team affairs.

Ilari Kangasniemi is one striking example – quite literally, given the 19-year-old stands at 6ft 6in. The young defender signed a five-year deal, reflecting both an immediate need and a longer-term ambition. He’s here for the now but also the years to come.

“I will always try to give my all for the fans and for my team-mates,” he said. “I just want to play, to help the Club as much as I can and give 100 per cent of me every time I’m on the pitch – and to be a fan favourite, also! I am really hungry to give my all to this Football Club.”

Bosnia and Herzegovina youth international Admir Bristric is another signing with room to grow. His permanent move, on a four-year contract, hands Martin another option in the present day while giving a young forward time to develop his game and establish himself at King Power Stadium, with Riis there to support him through it.

There has been movement between the posts too. Shot-stoppers Alex McCarthy and Franco Ravizzoli have both arrived to bolster the goalkeeping department, ensuring competition and depth in an area where reliability is paramount.

The loan market, on the other hand, has opened another route into the squad for some of the most promising young players in the game.

Full-back Christian McFarlane was an early arrival from Manchester City, with wingers Tommy Watson and Howell following from Brighton & Hove Albion. All three have already had the chance to make an impression on the Blue Army, with Howell going one step further by finding the net against Plymouth.

For Martin, the appeal of the players arriving has not simply been about their ability. Earlier in the window, the 40-year-old spoke of his satisfaction with the work being carried out behind the scenes, noting that in several cases Leicester had emerged as the preferred destination despite interest from clubs at a higher level.

“It’s a testament to them that they want to be a part of this,” he told reporters in Seagrave on the eve of this 26/27 season. “They’re excited and they want to be at Leicester. We can’t take that for granted.

“These guys have put us above options at a higher level. For me, that’s a really important and really big thing for us.”

The Academy, too, is a core component of Martin’s thinking. The likes of Jayden Joseph, Louis Page, Olabade Aluko and Sammy Braybrooke have been regulars in our early squads. Indeed, the early signs suggest they’ll continue to play a crucial role as we go deeper into the season, proving a pathway can exist alongside a recruitment drive of this scale.

As the window closes, the new arrivals are getting to know their team-mates, the experienced heads are helping them settle, and the first signs of a team are beginning to emerge. Tuesday’s victory provided a timely glimpse of that progress, but as ever, the next game on Saturday becomes the primary focus once more.

Oxford are the visitors, with kick-off at 3pm BST, as our next chapter continues to take shape.

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