Leicester finally snapped their seven-match losing run last weekend with a shock 2-1 win at Tottenham, but still find themselves in a serious dogfight at the bottom of the Premier League.
They sit a point above relegation rivals Wolves and Ipswich, and there is a tough schedule ahead. The Foxes face Manchester United (twice), Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester City in the next two months.
Manager Ruud van Nistelrooy eased the mounting pressure on his job with the win at Spurs but has turned on his players behind the scenes in recent weeks and will be demanding reinforcements to keep Leicester’s head above water.
Here, our Leicester expert TOM COLLOMOSSE answers the five key questions facing the club as we enter the final days of the transfer window.
What business have Leicester done so far in January and will they be happy with it?
There is rising unease among the Foxes fanbase at the lack of business this month.
Woyo Coulibaly is a lone arrival at relegation-threatened Leicester during the January window
Though the win at Tottenham reduced the tension a little, the squad looks short and Leicester need more than full back Woyo Coulibaly, who joined for £2million from Parma, to fill the gaps.
Coulibaly’s arrival allowed Hamza Choudhury to join Sheffield United on loan and the Blades also signed Tom Cannon for £10m.
What’s needed and do they have money to spend?
When Ruud van Nistelrooy was hired, he asked for a full back, a forward, a left-sided centre back and a winger.
Only one of those requests has been granted and, given Leicester’s issues with Premier League spending rules, the Dutchman will probably be lucky to get even one more through the door before February 3.
It all points to rising tension and Van Nistelrooy’s frustrations are spilling out.
Ruud van Nistelrooy demanded four new players when he arrived, but only one has come in
Who are they targeting?
Leicester are struggling. They lack the funds or the recruitment structure to operate effectively in a market as difficult as January.
Ordinarily that would leave the Foxes looking for loan deals – but they cannot do so as they have already filled their two Premier League loan slots, with Odsonne Edouard from Crystal Palace and Facundo Buonanotte from Brighton.
Until that problem is solved, Leicester are stuck with those two.
Odsonne Edouard’s loan has not gone to plan and now it is limiting who Leicester can bring in
Facundo Buonanotte has clashed with Van Nistelrooy and he may return to Brighton
Who could still leave?
The deal for Caleb Okoli last summer has not worked and the defender is eyeing a move back to Italy, where he is a target for Parma.
Leicester are desperate to cancel Edouard’s loan but Crystal Palace will not do so unless another club wants a permanent deal for the Frenchman, who has yet to start a Premier League game this season.
That means Buonanotte, who has scored five goals this season but has clashed with Van Nistelrooy, could end his loan agreement and return to Brighton.
Which players have stepped up in January and could be ‘like a new signing’ for the rest of the season?
Few Leicester fans were excited when the club signed Bobby DeCordova-Reid on a free transfer last summer, yet when the winger has played, he has usually made his mark.
He has been limited to just three starts in the Premier League but has come off the bench 12 times and scored one.
He set up both goals at Tottenham last weekend and made positive contributions to the win over West Ham and draw with Brighton at the start of Van Nistelrooy’s tenure. Expect him to have more game time in the coming weeks.
Bobby DeCordova-Reid was instrumental to Leicester’s shock win at Tottenham last weekend