Leicester City have a rich history of developing talent through their youth academy.
Leicester have seen several talented superstars come through the doors of the King Power Stadium at a young age.
Ben Chilwell and Harvey Barnes, for instance, are prime examples of those who the Foxes pocketed huge profits for.
While Chilwell departed the club for Chelsea in 2020, Barnes was moved on to Newcastle United as a result of their relegation last summer.
Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall is another who came through Leicester’s academy but instead of jumping ship last term, he’s stayed on and become arguably Enzo Maresca’s most influential player.
Some players – like Trey Nyoni – are poached by a big club before earning their chance in the first team.
Who is Trey Nyoni?
After spending ten years in Leicester’s academy, Nyoni was captured by Liverpool in September 2023.
The 16-year-old, who plays as an attacking midfielder, left supporters feeling displeased following his departure having already shown signs of his limitless potential with the Reds.
Nyoni has made remarkably swift progress from the U18s to the fringes of the first team – training regularly and making the bench for the 3-0 win over Brentford in November – in a rise similar to that of Doak in 2022.
The teenage wonderkid was mentioned in the Guardians 2023 report of the 20 best talents at Premier League clubs.
They describe him as having ‘beautiful balance, two good feet and the ability to beat this marker on either side’.
It is also mentioned that ‘there was consternation at Leicester’ when Nyoni was signed by Liverpool in the summer.
Given he scored a 96th-minute winner against Everton on his U18’s debut and has gone on to score three and assist once in all competitions this term, it feels only a matter of time before the ‘exceptional’ talent – as lauded by scout Antonio Mango – breaks into Jurgen Klopp’s plans.
The future is bright at Leicester
Supporters were right to feel aggrieved when Nyoni departed for pastures new, but there are plenty of other talented youngsters who are showcasing their potential in the youth setup.
The likes of centre-back Ben Nelson – who made his FA Cup debut in the 3-2 victory over Millwall – point towards a brighter future at Leicester.
It seems like a matter of time until attacker Amani Richards follows in the footsteps of Kasey McAteer by stepping into the first-team picture.
Nyoni’s departure would have hurt a lot, but when the club has a proven track record of constantly developing the next stars of the future, the blow of losing the 16-year-old is somewhat softened.