Emile Heskey Highlights Transfer Misstep Behind Leicester City’s Relegation Struggles

Emile Heskey believes Leicester City’s failure to adequately strengthen their defence in the summer transfer window has come back to haunt them.

City have conceded 61 goals in 27 Premier League matches and have failed to keep a clean sheet in their last 23 games across all competitions.

Heskey, a fan favourite, always expected defensive struggles, feeling that the Championship-winning back-line wasn’t up to Premier League standards and wasn’t reinforced sufficiently.

City signed centre-back Caleb Okoli from Atalanta for £15m, but he was the only defensive addition among their nine summer signings.

However, Okoli hasn’t been a regular starter, meaning the only real change in defence from last season has been Victor Kristiansen, who returned from a loan spell at Bologna to secure the left-back spot.

James Justin, Wout Faes, and Jannik Vestergaard have remained defensive mainstays, just as they were under Enzo Maresca in the Championship.

“We all knew it was going to be a tough season,” Heskey told Betway’s Seaman Says podcast.

“The gap between the Championship and Premier League is massive.

“You need to strengthen your squad to be competitive, and I don’t think we’ve done that.

“With the PSR (Profit and Sustainability Rules), we had to navigate financial constraints, plus we carried over last season’s issues.

“I watched a lot of our games last season and enjoyed it because we were top of the table, but we conceded a lot of goals.

“Defensively, I don’t think we were prepared for the Premier League, and we’ve carried those same issues into this season.”