Leicester City's best line-up with only academy players

Leicester City have enjoyed great success in recent years at bringing through players from their academy into the first team, with the likes of Ben Chilwell, Harvey Barnes, and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall going on to be come regulars. They have an excellent group of prospects coming through the ranks now too.

It wasn't always this way, but strides have been made over the past decade or so. It means that there's a healthy number of City academy graduates plying their trade around the Premier League and EFL, and around Europe too.

As a little experiment, we've put together what may be the best line-up that only includes City academy graduates. You can let us know your thoughts on the squad, and where in the English league ladder they might be competing, in the comments section at the bottom of the page.

Joining from his native Poland aged 16, Stolarczyk has worked his way up the City ranks and after a couple of loan spells at Dunfermline and Hartlepool where he made a big impact, Enzo Maresca made him Mads Hermansen’s number two. In his few outings last season, he looked a more-than-capable goalkeeper, especially with his gloves, the 23-year-old pulling off some excellent saves.

After becoming a fan favourite on loan at Peterborough, it was to London Road that Knight travelled when his City career ended in 2021 with just one senior appearance to his name. This summer, the tough-tackling Fleckney-born defender made a surprise move to Hannover in the German second tier and he’s now competing for promotion to the Bundesliga. While primarily a centre-back, he played right-back on occasion when coming through the ranks at City, so that’s where he fits in our academy team.

Long heralded as a star of the future, Nelson is now beginning to realise his promise. He was 16 when he first featured on the City bench, having been in the academy since he was a kid, and now 20, he should get plenty of game-time on loan at Oxford to show his qualities as a ball-playing centre-back.

When he opted to leave City for Rangers on a free transfer, Bassey was a flying left-back with a wicked cross. After a slow start in Scotland, he eventually established himself as a regular at centre-back, using his speed and strength to superb effect, particularly shining in their run to the Europa League final. That earned him a big-money move to Ajax that didn’t pan out, and so he returned to England with Fulham last summer.

While he’s now in the Chelsea bomb squad under former City manager Enzo Maresca, Chilwell remains one of the academy’s best success stories and the first player to grow up at the club and become an England regular since Emile Heskey. At his best, he’s a very good attacking left-back, one who brings great stamina and a decent cross.

The aggressive midfielder has now played more than 100 games for his boyhood club and remains in Steve Cooper’s squad as they take on the Premier League. His energy and strength in the tackle make very effective at times.

City’s player of the season as they won the Championship, there was a tearful goodbye to Dewsbury-Hall this summer. It’s not yet known if he will be a big hit at Chelsea, but if not, he would be welcomed with open arms back at the King Power Stadium, especially after adding goals and assists to his work-rate and ball-carrying last season.

A striker, a winger, and a left-back during his time at City, Schlupp has mostly been a central midfielder during his eight years at Selhurst Park. Still capable of a burst of pace and popping up with a goal or assist in a key moment, those qualities have helped him to maintain a career at the top for so long, the 31-year-old having now played more than 270 Premier League matches.

Introduced to the first-team squad last term, showing off an eye for goal and great movement in and around the box, McAteer will be called on from time to time under Cooper this season. With all of his City goals coming away from home so far, at places like Anfield and St Mary’s, he’ll hope to net at the King Power Stadium soon.

Lightning quick and a consistent scorer and assist-provider, Barnes is the most talented attacker City have produced in years and it does feel like should get more recognition. He’s well-liked at Newcastle but not yet established as a regular starter amid a battle with Anthony Gordon for game-time.

Despite having had the likes of Heskey and Gary Lineker come through their ranks, producing strikers has not been City’s forte. So up front for this side is Gradel. He may have spent most of his career as a winger, but he’s played up front a fair few times, and has netted more than 125 goals in his career. He may now be 36 and playing in the Turkish second tier, but he can still deliver and was captain for Ivory Coast as they won Afcon at the start of the year.

If City were to name a 25-man squad of academy players, they’d have a strong back-up defence, with Cedric Kipre (Reims) perhaps most unfortunate to miss out on the 11 now he’s playing in Ligue 1 following a summer move from West Brom. There’d also be Luke Thomas (City), Elliott Moore (Oxford), Alex Pascanu (Rapid Bucharest), and Callum Elder (Derby) to choose from, with Daniel Iversen (City) as back-up goalkeeper.

Into midfield and attack and there’s young City prospects who are at the club, out on loan, or have recently been let go. So you’ve got Sammy Braybrooke (Dundee on loan), Will Alves (City), Wanya Marcal (De Graafschap on loan), Callum Wright (Plymouth), Chris Popov (Barrow on loan), Sidnei Tavares (Moreirense) and Tawanda Maswanhise (Motherwell). For extra experience in the middle, Oliver Norburn (Blackpool) can come in too.