Football is dominated by money these days and we regularly see transfer fees in the excess of £60m becoming the norm.
At Leicester City, the Foxes haven’t been afraid to splash the cash either, but most of their success has come from bargain buys.
Riyad Mahrez for £400k is considered to be one of Leicester’s best January transfers of all time while Jamie Vardy for £1m has gone down as a Foxes legend.
It’s this sort of market the club may have to continue to operate in given the ongoing threat of PSR that is hanging over Leicester.
Academy star Jake Evans is considered the heir to Vardy’s throne, but the club may have genuinely found the ‘next Jamie Vardy’ in one non-league star.
Leicester City bring 16-year-old on trial who is wanted by 27 clubs
Those familiar with the Leicester academy would’ve noticed a new name on the scoresheet in the Under-18s’ recent win draw against Norwich City, before featuring in the win against Brighton & Hove Albion.
Riley Carr,16, is a trialist brought in from non-league side Hertford Town, who play in the eighth tier of the English football pyramid.
As revealed by Leicestershire Live, Carr made an instant impact by registering a goal and assist against Norwich before playing in the Brighton win.
Unsurprisingly, Carr is Hertford’s youngest-ever player and youngest goal scorer which has, according to manager Ben Heard, caught the interest of 27 clubs across England.
If Carr joins the Foxes, it would be a similar career path to Vardy after the 16-year-old was released by Football League outfit Stevenage before impressing at non-league and potentially earning a big move.
Leicester City youngsters will form the centre of team next season
One thing that nobody can argue with when it comes to Leicester is how exciting their youth squads look.
From Jeremy Monga heading off to captain England at Under-16 level to names such as Evans and midfielder Louis Page, there are a number of stars that could find themselves involved in the first team.
Should the Foxes find themselves in the Championship next season, the likes of Ben Nelson and Will Alves will almost certainly be included in the team – even becoming regulars.
Leicester fans pride themselves on their academy and it seems like that won’t change any time soon given the quality of talent coming through.