From Yakubu to Jordan Ayew – all 122 Leicester City transfers under King Power rated
Leicester City are in their current predicament in part because of the lack of success of last summer's signings, but poor transfer windows are not necessarily the norm
Leicester City have signed 10 players since their promotion and yet just one was in the starting line-up when they faced Manchester United before the international break.
The lack of success in the market, and the lack of joined-up thinking between the club and the managers they appoint, looks like being costly in City's pursuit of Premier League survival.
But there have been plenty of times in the past where City have got it right. They've had their fair share of flops, but, since the King Power takeover, they've also pulled off some of the best signings ever made by English clubs.
In total there have been 122 deals in the near 15 years since King Power arrived at City. We've rated every deal below.
You can tell us which players we've overrated and which players we've overlooked in the comments section at the bottom of the page.
October 2010-March 2011
The King Power takeover was ratified by the Football League in October 2010 and there was immediate backing for Sven-Goran Eriksson, City bringing in a glut of players to transform the squad, including plenty on loan from the Premier League. Yakubu, scoring 11 goals in 20 games including a belting volley against Derby, was probably the stand-out, but Ben Mee did a decent job too, while permanent signing Sol Bamba became a cult hero at the club. There were some flops too, though.
Roman Bednar (loan, West Brom) 2, Chris Kirkland (loan, Wigan) 4, Ben Mee (loan, Manchester City) 6, Sol Bamba (£250k, Hibernian) 7, Yakubu (loan, Everton) 8, Patrick van Aanholt (loan, Chelsea) 5, Ricardo (free, unattached) 2, Jeffrey Bruma (loan, Chelsea) 4, Diomansy Kamara (loan, Fulham) 4.
(Image: Adrian Dennis/AFP/Getty Images)1 of 26Summer 2011
The first summer with King Power at the helm saw a lot of business again, with some of it excellent, not least the signing of Kasper Schmeichel, one of the best deals in the club’s history. The free transfers for David Nugent and Paul Konchesky also worked out handsomely. There were many pointless deals where Eriksson’s whims were indulged, but there were more good signings than bad, with some of the recruits only unable to impress over multiple years because Nigel Pearson went in a different direction.
Lee Peltier (£1m, Huddersfield) 6, Kasper Schmeichel (£1m, Leeds) 10, Neil Danns (free, Crystal Palace) 5, Sean St Ledger (£1.2m, Preston) 5, David Nugent (free, Portsmouth) 9, Matt Mills (£5.5m, Reading) 2, Paul Konchesky (free, Liverpool) 8, John Paintsil (free, Fulham) 2, Michael Johnson (loan, Manchester City) 2, Gelson Fernandes (loan, Saint-Etienne) 5, Michael Ball (free, unattached) 2, Jermaine Beckford (£2.5m, Everton) 5.
2 of 26January 2012
Pearson’s first window saw two more of the title-winning side arrive, with Wes Morgan and Danny Drinkwater both superb bits of recruitment, Morgan for his impact and leadership over the best part of a decade for the club, and with Drinkwater excelling during his years before his £35m switch away. Ben Marshall also provided some highlights during his spell at the club.
Danny Drinkwater (£1m, Manchester United) 10, Nathan Delfouneso (loan, Aston Villa) 3, Wes Morgan (£1m, Nottingham Forest) 10, Ben Marshall (£1m, Stoke) 6.
3 of 26Summer 2012
![Jamie Vardy pictured at the King Power Stadium after joining Leicester City in 2012]()
The raiding of Manchester United’s youth ranks continued, and with success, Ritchie De Laet and Matty James both making important contributions. The latter would surely have made more if not for terrible injury luck. It also saw the arrival of Anthony Knockaert, who thrilled during City’s time in the Championship and became a fan favourite. But this window is really about Jamie Vardy, signing from Fleetwood for a non-league record of £1m in what is perhaps the best deal done by any club in the modern era.
Ritchie De Laet (£1m, Manchester United) 8, Matty James (£1m, Manchester United) 8, Jamie Vardy (£1m, Fleetwood) 10, Marko Futacs (free, Portsmouth) 3, Zak Whitbread (free, Norwich) 4, Anthony Knockaert (£2.5m, Guingamp) 9.
(Image: Mike Sewell)4 of 26January 2013
![Chris Wood celebrates his hat-trick goal in Leicester City's win over Bristol City]()
Back to Old Trafford City went, with Michael Keane a success but Jesse Lingard far from it. Very few would have guessed from Harry Kane’s loan spell that he would go on to be England’s all-time leading goalscorer, although it didn’t help that he played on the wing a fair bit. He has since punished City by scoring a glut of goals against them. While he didn’t last long once City got to the Premier League, Chris Wood provided plenty of memorable goals before that.
Michael Keane (loan, Manchester United) 7, Jesse Lingard (loan, Manchester United) 2, Chris Wood (£1.25m, West Brom) 8, Harry Kane (loan, Tottenham) 4.
(Image: Paul Gilham/Getty Images)5 of 26Summer 2013
![Marcin Wasilewski during an early appearance at Leicester City in November 2013]()
With the core ingredients for promotion already in place, City didn’t do a lot of business ahead of their Championship title win, but they did add a few experienced heads to help guide a young squad, with Dean Hammond and cult figure Marcin Wasilewski particularly helpful additions.
Zoumana Bakayogo (free, Tranmere) 2, Ignasi Miquel (loan, Arsenal) 6, Dean Hammond (undisclosed, Southampton) 7, Marcin Wasilewski (free, Anderlecht) 8, Gary Taylor-Fletcher (free, Blackpool) 6.
(Image: Jan Kruger/Getty Images)6 of 26
