Kasper Schmeichel will become a free agent in the summer, when his contract at Anderlecht runs out, being positive to a possible return to Leicester in the future. His previous stay at the club lasted 11 years, leaving in 2022, moving to French club Nice.
Kasper Schmeichel still holds the goalkeeper position for Denmark as he passed his 100 cap mark in a friendly vs Switzerland on the 23rd of March this year. He is still very much the undisputed Denmark number 1, qualified for the Euro’s, coming up in June.
When Kasper Schmeichel arrived at Leicester, coming in from Leeds for a fee of £1million back in the summer of 2011, he had competition from Chris Weale and Conrad Logan, both previously being rated as first team alternatives, having played 74 (CW) and 23 (CL) league games up to that season. Adam Smith was also a contender at the time.
Despite being looked up on as a steady first team regular, Kasper had to fight for his position and be on his toes as the managers in charge brought in new alternative challengers. Nigel Pearson brought in Ben Hamer and Mark Schwarzer as both challenged for the first team spot, Leicester using three different goalkeepers in that 2014-15 Premier League returning season. Ben Hamer stepped in for Kasper early on, when being injured on international duty. Mark Schwarzer was brought in to challenge Kasper for his position, with the experienced Australian international joining from Chelsea, playing 6 league games later in the same season. Kasper came back into the team towards the end, completing 24 league games in all. Kasper fought off competition, with a fantastic run of games in the latter parts, later known as “The Great Escape”.
Since that 2014-15 season Kasper Schmeichel became the undisputed number one at Leicester, despite getting more competition. Ron-Robert Zieler was the next player brought in to compete, coming from Hannover as a fresh German World Cup winner with full caps four his country. Zieler left Leicester after two seasons, as Kasper won the vote. In that goalkeeper group, a young Jonny Maddison also made the squad, as a fourth alternative.
The next goalkeeper to sign was Eldin Jakupovic, coming from Hull for a fee of £2million, in the summer of 2017. Jakupovic played 2 league games in his first season, but never played a league game again, mostly seen as a third alternative until his daparture in 2022. In the summer of 2018, then manager Claude Puel makes a strange move and decides to sign Danny Ward from Liverpool for a fee of £12,5million. Ward has to wait four years for his first team debut. Ward is later the goalkeeper to replace Kasper Schmeichel, when he surprisingly, is sold to Nice, for a fee of £1million.
During the last two seasons at the club, Kasper also had Viktor Johansson, Daniel Iversen and Jacub Stolarczyk as contenders, with the trio being brought into the first team frame on occassions. They all have later been loaned out (DI, JS) or released (VJ).
We have today seen Leicester linked with a new goalkeeper, Christos Mandas from Lazio. Mads Hermansen has been the preferred first choice this season, with Jacub Stolarczyk and Danny Ward as other alternatives, loaning out Daniel Iversen to Stoke. This clearly shows, that we again could see change. Possibly, A move for the Greece U.21 international Mandas, could indicate a possible departure of Danny Ward, Daniel Iversen and even Mads Hermansen.
- Goalkeepers – Leicester City – 2011 ->
- Regular First Choice
- Kasper Schmeichel (Den), 414 lg
- Mads Hermansen (Den), 44 lg
- Other
- Danny Ward (Wal), 27 lg
- Daniel Iversen (Dan), 12 lg
- Chris Weale (Eng), 75 lg
- Jakub Stolarczyk (Pol), 2 lg
- Viktor Johansson (Swe), 0 lg
- Eldin Jakupovic (Swi), 2 lg
- Mark Schwarzer (Aus), 6 lg
- Ben Hamer (Eng), 12 lg
- Alex Smithies (Eng), 0 lg
- Jonny Maddison (Eng), 0 lg
- Adam Smith (Eng), 0 lg
- Conrad Logan (Ire), 23 lg
- Ron-Robert Zieler (Ger), 9 lg
- Regular First Choice
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