Leicester City boss Enzo Maresca has said that ‘strange’ things can happen in the transfer window and has not ruled out any of his 25-man squad departing in January.
From looking at the Championship table, Leicester don’t need to invest in their playing squad or sell any players in January.
The Foxes are a whopping 10 points clear of second-place Ipswich Town, who drew 0-0 against 10-man Stoke City last time out.
Enzo Maresca’s side are also 13 points above Southampton in third position, giving them clear daylight at the top of the table.
Promotion back to the Premier League has never looked more improbable for a side in the second tier.
Despite this, Maresca has previously revealed that his side are looking to do business in this transfer window, but can only bring in players if a member of their current squad departs to free up a spot in their permitted 25-man line-up.
A few of their first-team stars, including Wilfried Ndidi and Kelechi Iheanacho, have been linked with moves away while others are hoping to attract interest.
Goalkeeper Danny Ward, for instance, is now third-choice in the pecking order at the King Power and has not played a competitive game this season.
The 30-year-old needs to play regular football and build form ahead of Wales’ Euro 2024 play off in March.
Maresca, however, isn’t willing to predict what may happen across the month and understands why some of his players will want to leave in search of regular minutes elsewhere.
Enzo Maresca makes ‘strange’ January transfer admission
Speaking to Leicestershire Live, the Italian said: “I can understand that players who are not involved are not happy. That’s normal. They work every day to play football.
“Danny is working fantastic. He’s very professional. Even if he’s not playing, he’s doing a fantastic job. Now, what happens in January, I don’t know. He’s working very good, but since we started, we are playing with Mads (Hermansen) or Jakub (Stolarczyk). I know it’s difficult, but it is what it is.
“The 25 players we have here, the moment the transfer window opens, anything can happen. It’s not just about Danny, it’s about all 25. I would like to keep them, but sometimes the window is strange.”
Should Leicester sell Danny Ward?
Ward is reaching the prime years of his footballing career as a goalkeeper.
At the age of 30, the Leicester shot-stopper needs to be playing regularly and after featuring 26 times in the Premier League last term, he’d have hoped to become Maresca’s number one in the Championship.
Of course, with the acquisition of Mads Hermansen – who has been magnificent in between the sticks – he has been pushed out and now has to move elsewhere for the best interests of his career.
Given he can’t play with the ball at his feet, he’s never going to break into Maresca’s plans any time soon but does boast the ability to become a number one elsewhere.
During his time at Huddersfield on loan from Liverpool, he helped them win promotion to the Premier League in 2017, amassing 43 appearances and 11 clean sheets.
Ward has regularly settled for being a second choice keeper and has only made 131 appearances across his entire career.
Indeed, he has to move on now otherwise he may have huge regrets when he looks back on his time as a keeper.