Leicester 2017/18 Premier League season preview: Can Foxes use positive summer to push for Europe?

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When it comes to Leicester, what hasn’t changed? One Premier League title, a quarter-final exit from the Champions League, the dismissal of title-winning manager Claudio Ranieri and an end-of-season fight for survival: the Foxes have been on quite the journey over the past two seasons and will feel that the status quo has been irreversibly changed for good.

Indeed, in light of their remarkable domestic and European feats, Leicester look to have transformed their reputation as a perennial yo-yo side to Premier League dark horses. A strong transfer window this summer, capped off by the signing of Kelechi Icheancho, lends weight to the theory that the Foxes can continue to move forwards in the years that come – as opposed to backwards.

Players and clubs figures were insistent at the end of last season that it’s a matter of ‘back to basics’ now that the fairytale has drawn to an end, but it’s this sort of modest outlook which set them on the road to unexpected glory in the first place.

So while Leicester may now be yesterday’s news, when it comes to ‘change’ their rivals will surely have learnt by now not to underestimate the plucky East Midlanders.

Leicester have had the transfer window they should have had last summer. The Foxes have spent smartly so far, recruiting proven talent in the likes of Harry Maguire and Sevilla’s Vicente Iborra - an experienced head who should bring an increase in physicality to the side’s midfield unit. In Iheanacho, Leicester have landed an exciting prospect who will be eager to make a name for himself having been denied the opportunity to do so at Manchester City. It’ll be interesting to see how Craig Shakespeare opts to field the youngster given both him and Jamie Vardy play a similar style of game: quick, opportunistic and direct. Eldin Jakupovic has also been brought in to offer cover for Kasper Schmeichel.

Leicester say goodbye to fan favourite Marcin Wasilewski who now becomes a free agent, as does Michael Cain. Bartosz Kapustka, bought in last summer’s spending spree, has been loaned out to SC Freiburg to develop his game while Ron-Robert Zieler has been sold to VfB Stuttgart. Molla Wague’s loan spell comes to an end and the player returns to Udinese after Leicester opted to pass on a permanent deal. His season came to a premature end in March after being forced out of the remainder of the Foxes’ campaign with a dislocated shoulder.

Their current best XI would look like:

Kasper Schmeichel, Danny Simpson, Wes Morgan, Harry Maguire, Ben Chilwell, Marc Albrighton, Wilfred Ndidi, Danny Drinkwater, Demarai Gray, Kelechi Icheancho, Jamie Vardy.

Whether or not Leicester can build upon the success of the past two years. “We’re looking to the future,” Shakespeare said at the end of last season. Leicester have no intention of living off their past glories – all focus is fixed on driving the Foxes forward into a new chapter. Consolidation is now key. The club is by no means looking to catapult itself into the upper echelons of footballing stardom – such an objective is unrealistic, something the owners are aware of.

Instead, it’s very much a case of ‘softly-softly’ and taking each step as it comes. This means nurturing that holistic, unassuming ethos which underpinned the Foxes’ title-winning season - both on and off the pitch. From training ground routines to Leicester’s impressive recruitment policy, the club will be sticking to what it knows best.

If Leicester can stay true to the values that cemented their place in the history books in the first place, while avoiding the sort of on-pitch capitulations that saw Ranieri sacked last February, then there’s no reason the Foxes can’t look back on the past two years as the beginning of a new chapter for the club.

In light of the strength of the league’s big six, Leicester’s chances of pulling off another title upset are unlikely at best. Realistically, Shakespeare’s side are capable of pushing for a Europa League spot if they can establish some momentum in the early stages of the coming season. A decent cup run would be warmly welcomed, too, and reaffirm the idea that Leicester can transform themselves into a top-10 team.

Put simply, relegation. Leicester showed last season they’re capable of imploding. A series of consecutive bad results could knock confidence and set the Foxes on a downward spiral. But with Shakespeare at the helm, it’s an unlikely scenario.