Live updates from the media suite at Leicester City’s Seagrave training ground as Steve Cooper previews his side’s Premier League clash at home to Aston Villa this Saturday
Leicester City have their first win under Steve Cooper under their belts after beating Tranmere in midweek and they will now seek their first Premier League victory of the campaign. But they have a very tricky task this weekend.
City host Aston Villa on Saturday afternoon (3pm kick-off), with Unai Emery having built an excellent side on the other side of the Midlands. They finished fourth last season to qualify for the Champions League and aim to mix it with the big boys again this term.
On Thursday afternoon, Cooper will be previewing that game, as well as giving an update on transfers, with just a few days to go in the window. He’ll be asked about likely new signing Bilal El Khannouss as well as the club’s pursuit of a striker.
Albrighton retirement?
“Congratulations to him for the career he had and good luck with what comes next. I met him in the car park after Tottenham and spoke to him and Andy King for half-hour. There’s been some really successful times here and you need guys like Marc Albrighton to be amongst it and you can tell that’s the way he’s thought about from team-mates and staff members. Some of the stuff he told me is valuable as a new manager and I’d love to chat to him again.”
McAteer’s Ireland call-up?
“Congratulations to him. I haven’t seen him yet to say that personally. It’s good recognition for him and for the club and the journey he’s been on. He’s a good lad with a really good attitude. He signed a new contract recently. He’s still finding his way, which is normal. We want to push him to play well for us.”
Coady?
“He picked up an injury at the wrong time, the same as last year. We want every player fit and healthy. We want a training group that is competing against each other to stake a case to play in the team. We want players who are not starting to be ready to start should that opportunity come up. We don’t want a culture where players assume they’re going to play. They have to make sure they do everything to be in the team.”
Will first-team players leave?
“There’s always that possibility. The current squad of first-team players, if there is a player that really shows they want to leave, then we’ll consider it, but that’s not the case. No player has said they want to leave. Are we in a situation where there is serious interest in a first-team player? Not really. But that might change when I walk out of here.”
Will Cannon leave?
“He’s definitely a good young player and is attracting a lot of attention. It is possible. If he does, it will be the decision the club thinks is best. If not, I’ll enjoy working with him.”
Player who might leave – are they permanent or on loan?
“Both. We have some really good young players that we have to make decisions on. Playing time is the most important thing for youth development. As hard as it is to let them go, game-time is important. Sometimes I’ve let players out to my detriment, but that’s about developing.”
Has the window gone to plan?
“I’m not sure a window ever goes as planned. I don’t know how the next day might go. You go into a transfer window with plans and some things you achieve and some things you don’t know. That’s been the case here. Once the window closes, my mindset is absolutely on having full belief in what we have. It won’t be on any focus on what we don’t have. I really like what I’m seeing day to day from the guys.”
How to beat Villa?
“You have to have belief in the plan. We’re playing against a Champions League team who have had great success. The Spurs game is a good reference point of what can happen if we do back our plan. We’ve got to ensure that we really take the game to Villa and believe in our concepts.”
Need to be ruthless?
“You don’t have any results given to you. You have to earn whatever you get. Part of that is being ruthless. We could have been 100 per cent more ruthless in the first two games.”
Benefits of cup win?
“Respectfully to Tranmere, the expectation was on us to give that performance and get that result, and that starts with our attitude. If you don’t have that, you can get found out. In a cup competition, we want to get as far as we can. I’ve been in cup runs that have benefitted league form and confidence. It’s very much about building a connection and a fluidity in the team. Cup games can be beneficial for that.”
How close to getting first Prem win?
“You’ve got to make it happen, but when we’ve reflected on both games, we thought we could have had a better result in both of them. We go into every game believing we can win. But we’re under no illusions of what we need to do to get over the line. The first two games have given us belief that we can win games, but also reminded us that if we don’t get it right, things can go against you. We’re really positive in the camp. We’re enthused about what we can do.”
Ayew up front?
“He can play in a number of positions at the top end of the pitch and that was one of the attractions. He’s played well in different positions. You do want players who can play dual roles and can adapt. Jordan falls into that category. It was great to see him score. Hopefully it’s the start of many appearances for us.”
Want a new striker?
“Every manager will always want to strengthen any position. We’re no different. We’re not going to sign players who we don’t think are going to have the contribution we want. The players we’ve brought in we feel can make the team and the squad better. We’re still in the process, albeit we’re close to the end now.”
What would El Khannouss bring?
“You definitely want young players in the squad as well as experienced ones. You want a blend, and you want to plan for the future as well as compete week in week out. It’s a normal thing to add to a squad, particularly when you’re stepping up a league. But as I’ve said, you quickly turn your attention to preparing for games and reviewing games. That’s where my attention has been, on the guys who are here.”
El Khannouss coming in?
“The process is definitely in motion, there’s no point in denying that. But it’s not complete, so I don’t want to go too early on it. It’s in motion and let it complete first.”
Expect transfers?
“Maybe. Anything is possible, including players going the other way, as well as coming in. We’re definitely trying to do things. Let’s see how it plays out.”
Cooper has arrived
Stay tuned for updates.
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