Callum O’Hare would be a useful addition for Leicester in the event that the King Power Stadium sees a significant sale this summer.
Due to a possible financial regulation violation in previous years, Leicester City may lose points if they get promoted to the Premier League, according to Sky Sports.
Although it’s unclear if the Foxes will face charges and get a points sanction, this serves as a warning to them and other teams to exercise caution when making purchases.
To be fair, the leaders of the Championship league haven’t overspent this season—quite the contrary, in fact.
They used a portion of the proceeds from the summertime sales of players like James Maddison, Harvey Barnes, and Timothy Castagne to bring in some additions within the same window.
| Major summer sales at Leicester City in 2023 | |
|---|---|
| James Maddison | £40m |
| Harvey Barnes | £39m |
| Timothy Castagne | £13.5m |
| Potential total: | £92.5m |
But overall, it looked as though Enzo Maresca’s side had made a healthy profit, whilst at the same time strengthening their squad with some excellent signings.
In January, they didn’t make any signings at all, despite losing Cesare Casadei – although some would argue that they should have cashed in on the likes of Harry Souttar and Danny Ward if they could have done so.
However, it’s clear that they didn’t spend more than they received in terms of player movement, but that may not be enough to prevent sales in the summer to give themselves the best chance of raising significant funds before the end of June.
Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall could be sold to raise funds for Leicester City
The likes of Souttar, Ward and Daniel Iversen could all depart this summer, with all three unlikely to be a major part of Maresca’s plans next term.
But the player who may attract the most bids in the summer is Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, having got into double figures for both goals and assists this season in the Championship.
Brighton and Hove Albion, Arsenal, Brentford and Fulham were all linked with a move for the player in January, but none of them could get a deal over the line for the midfielder in the end.
A summer sale can’t be ruled out though regardless of whether Leicester are promoted or not – especially with the Foxes needing to raise funds before the end of June.
Leicester reportedly valued the midfielder at £40 million during the winter – and that sum of money before June’s deadline could be a major boost for Leicester.
Callum O’Hare could be the ideal replacement for Leicester City
If Leicester are to sell a midfielder like Dewsbury-Hall who can contribute a huge amount in the final third, they will need a replacement.
Ideally though, they need a cheap successor to the home-grown midfielder to give themselves the best chance of not breaching financial fair play limits.
Callum O’Hare, a top player for Coventry City, would be the best candidate to take over as he doesn’t live too far from Leicester and his contract at the Coventry Building Society Arena expires at the end of the current campaign.
The Foxes are said to have kept an eye on him throughout the previous January transfer window, which is another reason why he has been linked to a move there.
Even though he plays for a successful Coventry side, which undoubtedly boosted his performances, you can tell he’s a true game-changer when you see him in action.
Able to combine well with his team-mates and make an impact both on the wing and centrally, the attacking midfielder has proven his work at a Championship level – especially since returning from a serious knee injury in 2023.
Whether he can translate that into being an excellent competitor in the top flight remains to be seen, but he’s only 25 at this stage and has plenty of time to improve his game.
He isn’t guaranteed to leave on a free transfer in the summer, but at this stage, he hasn’t signed a new deal and that has surely made an exit more likely, with Coventry manager Mark Robins admitting in February that his star man is holding out for Premier League offers.
If Leicester can persuade O’Hare to make the move to the King Power Stadium, with the potential offer of top-tier football likely to help in their potential quest to sign him, he could be a suitable replacement for Dewsbury-Hall – although that would not go down well at the other end of the M69 with Coventry and the Foxes being bitter rivals.
