Steve Cooper Discusses Leicester City’s Transfer Budget Ahead of £20m Oliver Skipp Signing
Leicester City Manager Assures ‘No Agendas, No Secrets’ Regarding Transfer Budgets, Confirms Discussions with Club Hierarchy
Leicester City are set to sign Tottenham midfielder Oliver Skipp after manager Steve Cooper confirmed there is budget available in the final weeks of the transfer window.
The club will pay £20 million for Skipp, marking their most significant summer signing to date.
The 23-year-old will enhance Leicester’s midfield options, which is somewhat unexpected given Cooper’s prior emphasis on acquiring attacking players, especially since the team is currently short of strikers due to injuries to Jamie Vardy and Patson Daka.
Skipp, who previously played under Cooper at the England youth level, developed at Tottenham and has been a rotational player in recent seasons.
Last year, he made 21 Premier League appearances, starting only five.
Earlier this summer, there were suggestions that Skipp was looking for a move to secure more playing time.
He is poised to join Leicester just as they prepare to face Tottenham in their Premier League opener on Monday night.
Skipp will be the sixth new recruit of the window, with more signings likely as Leicester continues to utilize their budget.
When asked about the available funds after over a month without a permanent signing, Cooper responded, “Yes, for sure. It’s important that we spend wisely.
We all agree on what’s needed and what we’d like to do, but we also have to consider how one deal might impact another.
It’s typical transfer window management. We want to bring in more players and are working towards that goal, hoping for some luck.”
Former managers Enzo Maresca and Brendan Rodgers had expressed frustration with the club’s transfer dealings, noting unexpected constraints on spending and a lack of transparency regarding finances and budgets. However, Cooper has expressed satisfaction with the current communication.
He stated, “The club is very open and transparent. I don’t sense any agendas or secrets. Even before I agreed to join, the discussions about transfer budgets were clear.”
