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Today — 27 December 2025Main stream

Player reveals how Leicester City chief blocked his move to Championship club

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By:Saikat
27 December 2025 at 00:00

Standard Liege striker Thomas Henry has now revealed that Leicester City director Jon Rudkin blocked his move to Swansea City a few years ago.

The French attacker has revealed that Swansea City wanted to sign him during his time with the Oh Leuven, but the Foxes’ sporting director Jon Rudkin blocked the move, despite repeated requests from the player.

Thomas Henry on failed Swansea move

“I had agreed to go to Swansea. The coach at the time called me in March; it all happened very early. The problem was, I had scored 21 goals. I had increased my market value,” he said via Walfoot.

“It wasn’t Leuven who handled the transfer; it was Jon Rudkin, Leicester’s sporting director The transfer didn’t go through. Swansea made two offers, I begged Rudkin to accept, but it didn’t happen, Swansea withdrew from negotiations.”

Rudkin blocked Henry move

Henry was playing for OH Leuven between 2019 and 2021. The Belgian club is owned by the same group that owns Leicester City. After an impressive season with the Belgian outfit, where he scored 21 goals and picked up seven assists, Swansea wanted to sign him, and they submitted a couple of offers to Leuven as well. However, Rudkin was in charge of negotiations, and he stopped the player from joining the Welsh club. Henry ended up joining Venezia in the summer of 2021.

Rudkin is currently the director of football at Leicester City, and he has been a member of the boardroom at OH Leuven since 2017.

The striker feels that his increased market value after impressive performances with the Belgian club led to the collapse of the transfer. They were holding out for more money than Swansea were willing to offer. Rudkin refused to budge, and the Welsh club had to withdraw from the race.

The post Player reveals how Leicester City chief blocked his move to Championship club appeared first on CaughtOffside.

Before yesterdayMain stream

Leicester in pole position to sign Sunderland striker

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By:John Menzies
22 December 2025 at 19:59

It has been a dismal season thus far for Leicester, but signings in January could help their efforts to return to the Premier League come May.

Marti Cifuentes’ side find themselves 13th in the Championship table after 22 matches played, which is not where they imagined themselves to be after relegation from the Premier League last season. As well as on-field efforts, recruitment has been a struggle, but there will be chances to put that right in January.

Leicester linked with January move for Eliezer Mayenda

Eliezer Mayenda in action for Sunderland. (Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images)

A new forward is on the agenda, and according to Football League World (via Foxes of Leicester), a move could be be made for Sunderland striker Eliezer Mayenda. The 20-year-old has struggled for playing time in the Premier League, so a return to the Championship, where he excelled in last season’s promotion campaign for the Wearside club, would make a lot of sense.

Sunderland would surely allow Mayenda to see regular playing time given that Regis Le Bris does not see him as a notable option in his current squad, so a loan move makes sense. Leicester would be well-placed, given that he would see a lot of action at the King Power Stadium.

Should Leicester move for Eliezer Mayenda when the transfer window opens?

It’s clear that Leicester need to make changes over the coming weeks, whether that is tactical or with personnel. A good January transfer window could be the difference between promotion and staying in the Championship for another season, so signings like Mayenda, who has also attracted interest from a number of Bundesliga clubs in recent weeks, should absolutely be something that the club’s sporting departments seeks to finalise.

It remains to be seen whether Leicester move for Mayenda, but his signing would make a lot of sense for all parties.

The post Leicester in pole position to sign Sunderland striker appeared first on CaughtOffside.

Marti Cifuentes blocks Leicester City transfer deal

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By:Mehdi Gokal
21 December 2025 at 23:14

Leicester City manager Marti Cifuentes has firmly shut down speculation linking the Foxes with a January move for Sunderland goalkeeper Anthony Patterson.

Despite recent reports suggesting the club was looking to upgrade their goalkeeping options, the Spaniard has voiced his unequivocal support for current number one Jakub Stolarczyk, insisting he is “extremely happy” with his squad’s current options between the sticks.

Speaking ahead of the upcoming fixtures, Cifuentes addressed the growing rumors that Leicester were preparing a bid for Sunderland’s highly-rated shot-stopper Anthony Patterson.

The speculation had intensified following a high-profile error in Leicester’s recent build-up play, but the manager was quick to defend his philosophy and his players.

“I’m not upset that we tried to do something that has worked really well on many occasions,” Cifuentes stated, referring to the team’s commitment to playing out from the back.

“Sometimes when we build an identity, the way we want to play, we have to work out if we fail, how we want to fail. That’s part of the growth as a team.”

The Foxes boss emphasised that mistakes are a collective responsibility, absolving Stolarczyk of sole blame for the recent mishap involving midfielder Oliver Skipp.

“It’s not just about the decision-making of Jakub, but also the small movements of Skippy in that case,” he explained.

“If it goes wrong, that’s on me because that’s the way I ask them to play. There are no regrets.”

By publicly backing his current group, Cifuentes has effectively signaled that a new goalkeeper is not on his January shopping list.

Stolarczyk’s stats prove he is among Championship’s best

While the recent error may have grabbed headlines, the broader data paints a picture of a goalkeeper enjoying a stellar campaign. Jakub Stolarczyk’s shot-stopping statistics this season suggest he has been one of the standout performers in the Championship.

The Polish youth international has been instrumental in Leicester’s defensive resilience, with data showing that the number of chances conceded from building out of the back is significantly lower than the attacking value generated by the tactic.

Cifuentes highlighted this analytical perspective, noting, “The number of chances and number of goals we have conceded by building up in zone one is much lower than what we’ve achieved in terms of chances created and expected goals.”

Stolarczyk’s ability to make crucial saves and command his area has kept Leicester competitive in their push for a return to the Premier League.

With his manager’s full confidence and the statistics to back up his performances, Stolarczyk looks set to remain the undisputed number one at the King Power Stadium for the foreseeable future.

The post Marti Cifuentes blocks Leicester City transfer deal appeared first on CaughtOffside.

Tottenham make big push to sign Leicester fan favourite

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By:Ahad Shaukat
18 December 2025 at 16:53

Leicester City could be facing a significant transfer headache as Tottenham Hotspur intensify their pursuit of highly rated winger Jeremy Monga.

According to TEAMtalk, Tottenham are now making a big push to secure Monga’s signature, with Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City and Manchester United also monitoring his situation closely.

However, Spurs are believed to be at the front of the queue, having identified Monga as a priority target should opportunities open up in their wide attacking department.

With Brennan Johnson facing an uncertain future at Spurs after being linked with a move to Crystal Palace, Spurs are making contingency plans to replacement Johnson.

Jeremy Monga has impressed top clubs in England

Widely regarded as one of the most exciting young attacking talents in the country, Monga has already shown glimpses of his end product.

He opened his professional goal-scoring account during a narrow 2-1 defeat to Preston North End back in August, a milestone moment that reinforced belief in his long-term potential.

Monga’s situation is a complex one. The 16-year-old signed a scholarship contract with Leicester City back in June, a necessary step given his age, but he is unable to formally agree to a professional deal until next summer.

That timing has left the door ajar for elite clubs to position themselves early, even though Leicester successfully fended off immediate interest from European giants such as Real Madrid, Barcelona, Bayern Munich and Manchester City earlier this year.

Despite remaining at the King Power Stadium, Monga’s reputation has only continued to grow.

Tottenham identify Monga as target for next year

Jeremy Monga of Leicester City in action
Jeremy Monga of Leicester City in action (Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images)

He has been a regular presence around Leicester’s first-team squad this season in the Championship, a remarkable achievement for a player still in his mid-teens.

Monga is understood to be fully aware of the growing interest and is expected to make a final decision on his future in early 2026.

While Leicester remain hopeful of convincing him to commit his long-term future to the club, the scale of interest, both domestically and abroad, makes the task increasingly challenging.

Tottenham are ready to visit the opportunity to sign Monga next year and with Thomas Frank looking to add more pace and width in the wide positions, the Leicester City youngster has emerged as a genuine target.

Tottenham planning January move for Man City star admired by Thomas Frank

The post Tottenham make big push to sign Leicester fan favourite appeared first on CaughtOffside.

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