Leicester City haven’t made life any easier for themselves after an extremely quiet transfer window.
There were no deadline day incomings for Leicester, who only saw youth players such as Will Alves head out on loan.
The only piece of business the Foxes did in the winter window included the £3m signing of right-back Woyo Coulibaly from Parma.
Before the start of the transfer window, Ruud van Nistelrooy identified four areas to improve but, as is evident, that didn’t come to fruition.
Foxes fans have largely blamed Jon Rudkin for the lack of activity and whilst the Leicester chairman was playing polo on deadline day it emphasised the broken promise made to Van Nistelrooy was told earlier this year.
Ruud van Nistelrooy was told he would have money to spend in January
Despite spending over £80m on new signings in the summer, it was clear that improvements were needed.
A centre-back and forward in particular were the necessities but financial restrictions said otherwise.
This is a sharp contrast to Van Nistelrooy’s answer on January transfers back in December, when he revealed he was told he had money to spend.
“Yes,” the Leicester boss responded.
“We had a conversation about that in London before I signed. We spoke about that, the winter window, and also towards the summer.
“We also said that there’s no rush to do things. The squad there is now is getting opportunities to prove themselves over this month. There’s time after that to make a good assessment, when I’ve seen the players with my own eyes.”
The Leicester board have let Ruud van Nistelrooy down
Failure to provide Van Nistelrooy with the tools he needs in this relegation dogfight could backfire spectactularly.
There are concerns from Leicester’s owners that Van Nistelrooy could quit if he feels that he hasn’t been backed this window and in simple terms, he hasn’t.
Leicester could delve into the free agent market to sign players but given that recent times have been all links and no action, there isn’t much hope that they will be proactive in the future.
- READ MORE: Leicester City may have just over 48 hours to stop Ruud van Nistelrooy walking out, he has history
Van Nistelrooy has every right to feel short-changed after this window, which has got smaller following the departure of Hamza Choudhury on loan to Sheffield United, as well as sanctioning the permanent sale of Tom Cannon.
Time will tell if this strategy pays off but as it stands, Leicester’s manager has been let down.