Alan Smith, former Manchester City and Arsenal striker, has weighed in on Leicester City’s start to the season under Steve Cooper, highlighting a crucial need for reinforcements in the upcoming transfer window. According to Smith, Leicester must secure a new striker “as soon as possible” to ease their reliance on 37-year-old Jamie Vardy and help steer clear of relegation danger.
Despite Leicester having other attacking options, Vardy’s importance has grown significantly. He’s played an astounding 94 percent of City’s Premier League minutes this season—one of the heaviest workloads he’s shouldered in his 13 years with the club. Smith believes this dependency is unsustainable over the long term.
While Cooper has several forwards at his disposal, he’s had to lean heavily on Vardy. Jordan Ayew has primarily been deployed as a winger, Patson Daka has been sidelined by injury, and Odsonne Edouard, who is on loan from Crystal Palace, has struggled to make an impact and wasn’t even on the bench for their last match.
Vardy, however, has delivered strong performances, scoring four goals and surpassing his tally from last season’s relegation fight. Yet Smith feels it’s unrealistic for the club to rely on Vardy alone. He emphasized that Cooper’s ability to lift Leicester’s standing in the league is closely tied to the financial support needed to strengthen the squad.
After 10 games, Leicester sit in 15th place with 10 points, just five above the relegation zone—a slightly better start than Smith had predicted. He had initially been concerned about the lack of new signings, a sentiment he believes Cooper shares. Despite these challenges, Smith thinks Cooper has made the most of the resources available, keeping Leicester competitive. However, he anticipates a tense battle to avoid the drop, even as he remains cautiously optimistic about their chances for survival.
