Leicester City Let Him Go for Free, But He Won 10 Trophies with Arsenal.

Leicester City recently had a brief break from their relegation battle but failed to find success outside the Premier League.

The Foxes suffered a 2-1 defeat against Manchester United in the FA Cup, with former player Harry Maguire scoring a controversial offside goal that sealed their exit from the competition.

A challenging fixture now awaits at the King Power Stadium on February 15th, as title-chasing Arsenal come to town.

The Gunners currently sit second in the Premier League, trailing leaders Liverpool by six points despite playing one more match.

Meanwhile, Leicester are struggling in 18th place, two points from safety—a gap that could widen after the weekend’s fixtures.

As anticipation builds for the match, we take a look back at the career of an Arsenal legend who was once let go by Leicester for free.

Leicester City Released Martin Keown for Free

Martin Keown enjoyed a decorated playing career, beginning at Arsenal in 1984 and going on to achieve significant success.

The centre-back won 10 major trophies with the Gunners, including three Premier League titles, three FA Cups, three Community Shields, and a European Cup Winners’ Cup.

He was also part of the historic “Invincibles” squad during the 2003/04 season.

Keown left Arsenal in July 2004 and joined Leicester, who were competing in the Championship at the time, on a free transfer.

However, his stay in the Midlands was short-lived, as he was allowed to leave for free just six months later, joining Reading in January 2005.

According to BBC Sport, a club spokesperson explained that Keown’s departure was due to a lack of guaranteed playing time.

“Martin has been told he is free to leave the club on a free transfer,” the statement read.

“With the return of Matt Elliott and the emergence of Richard Stearman, the club are not in a position to guarantee Martin regular first-team football.

“Therefore, it is felt in the best interests of both parties that Martin is free to leave the club.”

Players Who Represented Both Leicester City and Arsenal

While Keown’s time at Leicester was brief, other players have enjoyed greater success at both clubs.

Alan Smith, for example, shone at both Leicester and Arsenal. He netted 65 goals for the Foxes before moving to the Gunners, where he scored an impressive 113 goals across all competitions.

Paul Dickov also represented both clubs, though he played more frequently for Leicester.

Additionally, Stephy Mavididi, now playing under Ruud van Nistelrooy, was once part of Arsenal’s youth system before moving to Juventus in 2018.