Jamie Vardy, Riyad Mahrez and Shinji Okazaki... How Leicester City became the Premier League's top bargain hunters

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The following article was written by Laurie Whitwell in September, 2105 just one month into the Premier League season. Leicester would go on to win the title.

1 The following article was written by Laurie Whitwell in September, 2105 just one month into the Premier League season. Leicester would go on to win the title. Jamie Vardy, Riyad Mahrez and Shinji Okazaki... How Leicester City became the Premier League's top bargain hunters Leicester City sit third in Premier League after four-game unbeaten run Foxes have made some astute signings over the last few seasons Riyad Mahrez is in line to win Premier League Player of the Month Jamie Vardy, signed for 1m, has earned another England call up Assistant manager Steve Walsh has played an important part in their transfer policy, which concentrates on player statistics Leicester City pulled down the blinds on their transfer window with a satisfaction that the view through the glass was rather rosy. Like many other Premier League clubs they worked up until the final hours of deadline day, signing Nathan Dyer on loan from Swansea, but the substantial part of their recruitment had been completed long before and the fruits are showing. Leicester sit third in the Premier League, undefeated in four games, and look wellstocked for the campaign ahead, which will doubtless require contributions from all quarters. Maintaining their status is still the focus. Jamie Vardy, signed for 1m from Fleetwood, has earned another England call up after his impressive start

Esteban Cambiasso was named Leicester Player of the Year after arriving on a free transfer last season Claudio Ranieri s reign has got off to a surprisingly good start but the Italian has been quick

2 Esteban Cambiasso was named Leicester Player of the Year after arriving on a free transfer last season Claudio Ranieri s reign has got off to a surprisingly good start but the Italian has been quick to pay tribute to staff working behind the scenes as well as predecessor Nigel Pearson for the players at his disposal. Riyad Mahrez is a leading candidate to be named Premier League player of the month, Jamie Vardy has continued his fine form to gain another England call-up, and Shinji Okazaki has shown guile and finesse to justify his 7million fee. Other players have made telling contributions too, most notably Marc Albrighton a free transfer from Aston Villa last summer but that varied trio provide a clear picture of Leicester s recruitment structure over a duration of time. It is a method worth noting. Vardy, from Fleetwood for a non-league record fee of 1m in May 2012, Mahrez was signed for 350,000 from Le Havre in January 2014, and Okazaki came in late June from Mainz, before Pearson was sacked. All three bear testament to Leicester s scouting system and transfer process led by Steve Walsh, Pearson s assistant who, notably, was kept on throughout a turbulent summer. Last season Walsh, who is head of recruitment, could be seen sitting in the stands alongside Pearson and nearly every player arriving through the doors will have been watched in the flesh by him personally. He is the one responsible for giving the final word of approval on all targets.

Foxes winger Riyad Mahrez cost only 350,000 but is in line to win Premier League Player of the Month Walsh was at Chelsea for 16 years and Jose Mourinho appointed him European scout.

3 Foxes winger Riyad Mahrez cost only 350,000 but is in line to win Premier League Player of the Month Walsh was at Chelsea for 16 years and Jose Mourinho appointed him European scout. He worked with Andre Villas-Boas on the signings of Didier Drogba and Michael Essien, before leaving for Newcastle under Sam Allardyce, forming a bond with Pearson, and moving to Leicester. LEICESTER SIGNINGS 2015 Shinji Okazaki (Mainz, 7.2m) N'Golo Kante (Caen, 5.6m) Robert Huth (Stoke City, 3m) Gokhan Inler (Napoli, 3m) Yohan Benalouane (Atalanta, undisclosed) Christian Fuchs (Schalke, free) Nathan Dyer (Swansea City, loan) Walsh works closely with David Mills, the club s chief scout, and will receive information on players from a team of employees in the field as well as through video analysis from Wyscout, a company that clips thousands of matches across the globe. Trusted agents also play a significant role in recommending clients who might match Leicester s brief. First, club management identify a desired position and style, and then a shortlist of options is drawn up based on the financial commitment likely in any deal.

4 Importantly, allied to all calls made throughout this process is an appreciation of the statistics; it is someone s job to forensically crunch the numbers on any given player. Think minutes per chance created, distance covered and speed reached, balls won back, plus many more variables. Responsible for much good work in this regard was Rob Mackenzie, employed as the club s head of technical scouting until Tottenham Hotspur poached him in February this year. Assistant Ben Wrigglesworth was appointed in his place after a thorough application process, an impressive role at just 24 years old. Japan international Okazaki joined this summer but Mackenzie had long done the analysis and Leicester first enacted a pursuit of his signature in summer Bundesliga side Mainz are known as a selling club but always had the desire to wait until this window to cash in and a January move was rebuffed. RECENT LEICESTER BARGAINS Esteban Cambiasso Free Riyad Mahrez 350,000 Marc Albrighton Free Jamie Vardy 1m As well as his fine goalscoring record 43 in 93 internationals and commercial appeal in the Far East, the home of Thai owners Vichai and Aiyawatt Srivaddhanaprabha, sources have disclosed to Sportsmail that his high work rate, contribution out of possession and versatility were key factors. Okazaki, 29, operated as a striker for club and country, but played wide when at Stuttgart. He was also accustomed to pressing from the front, as Leicester like to do. Mahrez, meanwhile, now looks an incredible bargain plucked from the obscurity of France s second division. The 24-year-old has scored four Premier League goals to lead the charts this season and wreaked havoc on defences with his flair. Walsh first went to watch Mahrez approximately 18 months before he signed, having identified the need for a wide player of speed and skill. Two other targets were

In Christmas 2013 they used a small sample of games to code the players actions using specialized software.

5 shortlisted one playing in Ligue 2, the other in Bundesliga 2, both now internationals but Mahrez stood out. Mackenzie s team had to generate their own in-house statistics on the trio of targets as data was unavailable for those leagues. In Christmas 2013 they used a small sample of games to code the players actions using specialized software. Swansea forward Nathan Dyer takes a medical after completing a deadline day loan move to the King Power Ranieri's squad looks well stocked to avoid a repeat of last season's relegation struggle The stand-out stats for Mahrez were the amount of positive, attacking actions he attempted and succeeded executing. His contract situation also appealed he had six months left so Leicester s hand in negotiations with Le Havre was strong as did his intention to play for Algeria rather than France. The African nation had qualified for the World Cup in Brazil so Leicester

6 knew his motivation levels would be high that second half of the season in a bid to make the squad. Walsh and Mills went to see Mahrez a couple of times before Mackenzie travelled across the Channel for the final game before New Year against Auxerre. All three were buoyed by success stories of former Ligue 2 players such as Olivier Giroud, Lorent Koscielny, and Franck Ribery. A similar tale is shaping for Mahrez. Vardy, 28, is getting better with age and is now worth far more than the sum Leicester paid three years ago. But it should be remembered what a gamble that kind of cash represented. Vardy, released by Sheffield Wednesday as a teenager, had never played league football, moving from Stocksbridge Park Steels in the eighth tier to Halifax Town as recently as Pearson recollects knowing about Vardy from his Stocksbridge days the former manager lived locally but only when he was performing consistently for Fleetwood did Leicester properly take notice. Walsh watched him several times at Fleetwood, including Wycombe away in the FA Cup. The club wanted a striker to press from the front and Vardy excelled. Vardy was plucked from the lower leagues and is now worth a lot more than the 1m the Foxes paid for him Chairman Andy Pilley demanded 1m and a host of clubs including Crystal Palace and West Bromwich Albion inquired. Southampton were close but chose Billy Sharp that January instead. In the end Peterbrough and Cardiff also had bids accepted but Leicester got his signature after Pearson, who would only get involved in transfers at the finale, invited

7 Vardy to his home and impressed. Vardy initially struggled and doubted himself amid criticism but has come through and is a shining light of Leicester s recruitment team. As part of ongoing statistical analysis it is recorded he sprints 500m per match, more than double the Premier League average. That deal was a calculated risk that paid off but could have been a disaster,' said a source. 'Fans on social media got to him and he needed to be boosted up. The fee now looks cheap now because he s been brilliant. Obviously not all signings have proved such success. The jury is still out on Andrej Kramaric following his 9m move, for example, but the sense is his quality will tell. The point is Leicester s structure works and breeds stability, even throughout personnel changes. Former director of football Terry Robinson performed an important role cutting Leicester s expenditure after the Sven Goran Eriksson era, and negotiated personal terms with Mahrez before being sacked. Jon Rudkin took over from being academy head in November and completed the Okazaki transfer. Ranieri s opinions are now fed into the system and the signing of Atalanta defender Yohan Benalouane is his primarily. Gokhan Inler was on the radar for some time, while N golo Kante is very much a product of scouting. Whether these players are hits remains to be seen. What can be certain is that the homework has been done.

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