A list of the top 10 Leicester City transfers made over the years.
The transfer window is the most exciting time for any football fan.
From the arrivals to hoping you can hold on to your best talent, it’s a period that takes you through just about every emotion on the rollercoaster that is the beautiful game.
Some transfers work, others don’t, but then there’s the odd few who are just that little bit more special. The sorts of players who go on to stay for the rest of their careers, or leave behind a lasting legacy when they say goodbye.
With that in mind, we look at the top 10 Leicester City transfers.
10 – Esteban Cambiasso – free transfer, Inter Milan, 2014
After 10 years away from the Premier League, the Foxes wanted to mark their return to the heights of English football by signing a statement player.
Initially, the deal was meant to be kept behind closed doors but after it was leaked in the press, an angry Nigel Pearson confirmed that a deal to sign Esteban Cambiasso was in place.
Thankfully those leaks didn’t scupper Leicester’s ambitions and the five-time Serie A winner arrived at the King Power Stadium.
In terms of stature, it’s probably one of the biggest signings the club has ever made and in his first game, Cambiasso showed his quality by scoring in the thrilling 5-3 win against Manchester United.
He may have only stayed for one season, leaving after scoring on the final day against Queens Park Rangers following Premier League survival, but his impact was so much more than that.
9 – Matty Fryatt – Undisclosed fee, Walsall, 2006
Joining in January 2006, Matty Fryatt is one of the most prolific goalscorers to wear the Leicester shirt over the past two decades.
His breakout season came during the Foxes’ League One campaign as he became the first player since Derek Dougan to score 20 league goals before Christmas. In that same season, he also became the first Foxes star since Arthur Chandler to score successive hat tricks 84 years ago.
He’d end that season with 32 league goals and was joint-top scorer in the FA Cup with four goals.
Fryatt continued that record back in the Championship as Leicester reached the play-offs, only to lose to Cardiff City on penalties in the semi-finals.
Hull City would sign Fryatt in January 2011 which angered supporters at the time however looking back on it now, there aren’t many strikers who were as consistent as the forward, who scored 51 across 168 games.
8 – N’Golo Kante, £5.5m, SM Caen, 2015
Like Cambiasso, N’Golo Kante’s time at the King Power Stadium was short but sweet.
His signing didn’t jump out as the most exciting initially, given that many hadn’t heard of him but his impact was one of the greatest.
Kante played alongside Danny Drinkwater in the centre of midfield and was pivotal in Leicester’s historic 2015-2016 Premier League title-winning season.
The Frenchman’s role in the side led to some people claiming that 70 percent of the Earth is covered in water and the rest is covered by N’Golo Kante.
Due to a release clause in his contract, Kante was eventually sold to Chelsea after the title win and continued to rise to new heights, establishing himself as one of the best box-to-box midfielders in the world.
7 – Robert Huth, loan, Stoke City, 2015
He may have signed permanently six months later but Robert Huth’s initial loan spell in their great escape season was one of the most important arrivals.
At the time Leicester were leaking goals left, right, and centre, leaving Nigel Pearson with no option but to delve into the market.
Lacking in-game time but full of experience, the chance to bring Huth in on loan from Stoke City made sense.
His first goal came in the 3-2 classic away at West Brom in April 2015 in a game that spear-headed the Foxes’ survival chase as they won seven of their last nine games.
Joining permanently in the summer of the title-winning season, the German defender formed a formidable partnership alongside Wes Morgan in one of the Foxes’ most-decorated periods.
6 – Danny Simpson, Undisclosed fee, Queens Park Rangers, 2014
Perhaps a surprising inclusion for some, Danny Simpson was a signing that proved you can still find a bargain who can make a big impact.
Signing for a reported fee of £2m, Simpson’s know-how and experience of the Premier League was pivotal as he lined up on the right side of a back four.
READ MORE: Former Leicester City star Danny Simpson to make debut in new sport this month
Initially coming in to compete with fellow ex-Manchester United full-back Ritchie De Laet, Simpson eventually forced his way into the starting XI, where he became a mainstay.
He then went on to become part of the famous back four that would win the Premier League and went on to become a cult hero at the King Power Stadium.
5 – Youri Tielemans, Undisclosed fee, Monaco, 2019
Following an extremely successful loan spell on Filbert Way, Leicester took the plunge and signed Youri Tielemans permanently for a club-record fee.
Tielemans helped to rediscover his touch in the East Midlands after losing his place in the Monaco side, where he arrived as one of the brightest young talents in world football.
It goes without saying but Tielemans is responsible for Leicester’s most important goal in recent years, scoring the winner in the 2021 FA Cup final to win the competition for the first time in the club’s history.
His long-range effort has been replayed multiple times by Foxes fans around the world and that moment alone justified his fee.
4 – Wes Morgan, £1m, Nottingham Forest, 2012
Joining from a huge rival, Wes Morgan had an extra mountain to climb when he decided to join Leicester City but safe to say, he reached the summit.
To put it in simple terms: he is Leicester’s greatest captain of all time.
Not only did he lead the Foxes to the Championship title, but he also did the same in the Premier League, the run to the last eight of the Champions League, and crucially came on to lead the Foxes in the final few minutes of the historic FA Cup win.
A leader who embodies what it means to represent Leicester City, he is one of the best players in the Foxes’ history.
3 – Kasper Schmeichel, £1m, Leeds United, 2011
Another player who can be filed under bargain buys, Kasper Schmeichel is another one who lived up to his asking price, and more.
Brought to the club by the late Sven Goran-Eriksson, Schmeichel was thrust straight into the starting XI and became the Foxes’ number one for the best part of 12 years.
Like many of his peers, Schmeichel was a key component in Leicester’s best years and his success at the King Power Stadium helped him to step out of his father’s shadow and forge his own reputation.
2 – Riyad Mahrez, £400k, Le Havre, 2014
Like many of Leicester’s signings – who arrive with a point to prove or as an unknown entity – Riyad Mahrez ticked the latter box.
Mahrez joined from the French second tier and initially looked as if he would struggle with the physical demands of English football however his technical ability dazzled everyone who would watch him.
The Algeria international was often regarded as having the best first touch in world football, as well as his Arjen Robben-esque ability to cut in from the right onto his left foot.
Forming a deadly partnership with Jamie Vardy in the title-winning season, Mahrez would wow Leicester fans for the best part of four years before leaving to join Manchester City.
1 – Jamie Vardy, £1m, Fleetwood Town, 2012
There was only ever going to be one player at number one: Leicester City’s greatest-ever player.
After his superb goalscoring exploits in non-league football, Leicester took the plunge and made Vardy the most expensive signing in non-league history.
READ MORE: Top 10 Jamie Vardy goals for Leicester City include West Brom wonder-strike and Liverpool rocket
His story has been told many times. From records broken to trophies won, no player has done it quite like Vardy has.
Turning down the chance to join Arsenal the season after winning the Premier League only fuelled the fans’ love for their number nine and even in the 2024-2025 season, Vardy is still here as he tries to guide Steve Cooper’s side to survival.