Relegated Leicester sign Coady and Winks on three-year deals

July 1 (Reuters) – Leicester City have signed defender Conor Coady and midfielder Harry Winks with both England internationals signing three-year deals, the Championship club said on Saturday.

Coady was signed from Wolverhampton Wanderers although the experienced 30-year-old spent last season on loan at Everton.

“I’ve been massively excited all summer and it’s something I was desperate to get done. I’ve played against the club numerous times and it’s so, so hard playing against Leicester City. That’s something we need to take into the season,” Coady said in a statement.

Winks, 27, arrives from Tottenham Hotspur where he made over 200 appearances for the London club but spent last season on loan at Italian club Sampdoria.

“I’m looking forward to getting started, to have a full pre-season with the team and come here early to get ready for the games coming up,” Winks said.

Coady played for England last year and made the World Cup squad but did not make the squad for their European championship qualifiers, while Winks has not played for his country since 2020.

Leicester were Premier League champions in 2015-16 but they were relegated at the end of last season after they finished 18th. They last played in the Championship in the 2013-14 season when they won the title to gain promotion.

The club appointed Enzo Maresca as their new manager last month after the Italian left his role as an assistant coach under Pep Guardiola at treble-winners Manchester City.

But the club’s biggest assets were prised away with England midfielder James Maddison moving to Tottenham Hotspur in a 40 million pound ($51 million) deal while Aston Villa signed Youri Tielemans for free.

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Latest Wolverhampton Wanderers transfer news from BirminghamLive as Conor Coady has his say following his move to Leicester City

Conor Coady has issued a heartfelt message to Wolves and their supporters after ending his eight years at the club with a move to Leicester City.

The 30-year-old defender completed the move on Saturday after the clubs agreed a fee of £ 7.5 million with a further £1m if the Foxes win promotion from the Championship.

And Coady made clear his respect for Wolves after 317 appearances with the club which has included captaining the club to promotion to the top flight as well as an FA Cup semi-final and Europa League campaign. He posted on Instagram: “I arrived as a boy and this club made me a man… Thank you for everything, it’s been an incredible ride.”

Coady’s exit always looked likely once he was allowed to join Everton on a season-long loan by former manager Bruno Lage last summer. Lage was making the switch from a back three to a four, decided Coady didn’t fit that style, and so he was allowed out on loan for regular football to improve his England chances.

Coady didn’t feature regularly after Sean Dyche was appointed manager at Goodison Park in January so Everton decided against triggering a £4.5m clause in the arrangement to complete a permanent deal.

That proved to be good news for Wolves who have been able to negotiate a better figure with a Leicester side who are looking to get out of the Championship at the first attempt after relegation in May.

Coady’s exit, on a three-year deal, follows the £47m sale of Ruben Neves to Al Hilal, deals that will help Wolves comply with Financial Fair Play regulations as they also try to raise money to reinvest in the squad.