Three signings Gary O’Neil could make as Leicester City manager as he becomes ‘front runner’ for the job
Leicester City finally appear to be coming to an end with their manager search as Gary O’Neil becomes the leading contender for the job.
It was revealed that O’Neil and Chris Wilder had interviewed for the Leicester job as they look to find a replacement for Ruud van Nistelrooy, who was sacked by the Foxes in June.
Lee Carsley was never on Leicester’s shortlist and Rob Dorsett of Sky Sports revealed that Danny Rohl and Sean Dyche were out of the running, making O’Neil the ‘front runner’ for the job.
Leicester could face a points deduction this season which may mean the former Wolves boss will have to be frugal in the transfer window.
With that, here are three signings O’Neil could make if appointed as Leicester manager.
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Chris Mepham
Leicester are in need of a defensive overhaul after a calamitous season at the back in the Premier League, conceding an eye-watering 80 goals.
Wout Faes is expected to leave, as is Conor Coady and Jannik Vestergaard could also follow out of the door too, leaving only Ben Nelson and Caleb Okoli as genuine first-choice options.
O’Neil likes to play with three-at-the-back and Chris Mepham is someone he knows well from his time at Bournemouth.
Mepham won promotion to the Premier League with Sunderland via the Championship play-offs last season and would comfortably slot into the side if the potential Foxes boss went for his traditional back three look.
Game time at Bournemouth could be hard to come by for Mepham and the centre-back could be a shrewd pick-up.
Valentin Gomez
Valentin Gomez was linked to Leicester in the January transfer window last season in an £8m deal but nothing ever came to fruition.
Gomez has been a standout player in Argentina with Velez Sarsfield and has all the ability to go on and become one of the best young defenders in South America.
The centre-back is out of contract in 2026 and could be available for a cut-price fee but is likely to be of interest to clubs competing in Europe’s top divisions.
If he were to move to the East Midlands, he would be a regular choice and could fit into the side as a centre-back in a back three or even a left-back in a four-man defence if necessary.
Armando Broja
Armando Broja is a striker that has lost his way of late. A productive loan spell at Southampton has been followed up by a career blighted by injuries.
Loans to Fulham and Everton were disastrous, and the Chelsea striker desperately needs someone to reignite his spark.
O’Neil wanted Broja when he was Wolves manager but revealed that he was unable to get a deal sanctioned due to financial concerns.
It may be hard to convince Broja to take a drop down to the Championship but with a chance to lead the line now that Jamie Vardy has left and a league where he can score goals and get his confidence back up, O’Neil could do a lot worse than trying to persuade him.
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