--- source: thedugout.football generated: 2026-07-25T06:32:00.289Z last_updated: 2026-07-23T12:00:00+00:00 data_provider: API-Football canonical: https://thedugout.football/clubs/leicester-city/news/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubGVpY2VzdGVybWVyY3VyeS5jby51ay9zcG9ydC9mb290YmFsbC9mb290YmFsbC1uZXdzL2xlaWNlc3Rlci1jaXR5LWNhZGl6LXRha2Vhd2F5cy10cmFuc2ZlcnMtMTEwNzI1NzY --- # Russell Martin hints at Leicester City transfer decision as academy star shining - **Source:** - **Published:** 23 Jul - **Club:** Leicester City - **Original URL:** https://www.leicestermercury.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/leicester-city-cadiz-takeaways-transfers-11072576 Leicester City faced their toughest pre-season test of the summer on Wednesday night when they took on Spanish second division side Cadiz. The Foxes won to make it four wins in four games, but there were more questions than answers. Kirsten Otchere's well-taken header in the second half, his third in three games for City, was the difference at the Estadio Nuevo Mirador. Like we saw against Northampton Town and Bristol Rovers, Russell Martin used two starting XIs in the 30 degree heat, with each team providing different results. Conor Chaplin and Alex McCarthy impressed in their first appearance for the club, with the latter making four saves to keep Cadiz out. After half-time, Leicester took control of proceedings and got their goal, before the tempo of the fixture fell flat as the clock ticked down. So what did we learn, what needs further attention and what were the moments missed? FOLLOW ON FACEBOOK! All the latest Leicester City news on LeicestershireLive’s Leicester City Facebook page! You can also join our WhatsApp Community by clicking HERE All eyes were on Chaplin yesterday as he made his first outing for City. As expected, he played in the attacking midfielder role with Hamza Choudhury, but with a twist. Previously Will Alves had played the role and so had Sammy Braybrooke, who has been superb this summer. Chaplin's arrival changes how the midfield operates, with the 29-year-old playing more as a second striker. When Leicester had the ball, he pushed further forward in the pocket and joined Jake Evans on the last line, but did drop deeper when they built-up with McCarthy and backline. Off the ball, he moved forward and pressed with Evans as a pair, before tracking back if they beat the press. It does create the question of what it means for Braybrooke or Louis Page. Martin has explained that different games will provide different challenges and that's where the rotation will come into place. But right now, City are well stocked in midfield and it's a healthy spot to be in. McCarthy's arrival means Leicester now have three senior goalkeepers. The new signing played the first 45 minutes, looked OK in possession and impressed with his shot-stopping. Jakub Stolarczyk came on at half-time and pulled off a fine save himself. Left on the bench was Fran Vieites, with Under-21s goalkeeper Stevie Bausor making-up the goalkeeping contingency. So the question is, does McCarthy's arrival spell the end of Vieites? Even further up the pecking order, is the 36-year-old going to be the number one and replace Stolarczyk? It remains to be seen, but it is known that Martin is a big fan of the goalkeeper and the feeling is mutual. The former Southampton shot-stopper is understood to have rejected interest from Premier League and Championship to join the Foxes. When we arrived at the Estadio Nuevo Mirardor three hours before kick-off, the pitch was an immediate concern. It had bumps and uneven spots that did not look great. What followed was first Jon Rudkin coming out to check it, then members of the City backroom staff and then Martin. The City boss didn't seem best pleased with the surface, but it was the Cadiz camp that were concerned. It's understood that the Spanish side held discussions about whether the fixture should be played given the state of the pitch. It went ahead and there were no concerns, thankfully. City's play was impacted, for sure, with bobbles and bounces going against them. But it was no excuse for Leicester or Martin, with some League One pitches expected to be in similar conditions throughout the season. “It’s difficult so I have real respect for the players for playing on it," the Leicester boss said after the game. "We have to deal with what we’re doing and I spoke to them about that. "We might have to play on some tough pitches this season, it can never be an excuse. We have to try and be the team we want to be all the time with the right intention. I’m glad tonight that we haven’t used that as an excuse. "The problems, a couple of mistakes that maybe don’t happen technically if the pitch is better, but I said to them that that would happen in this game. "So the reaction has to be really important. The problem wasn't that, that’s not an excuse at all, the problems were us working out solutions whilst it’s going against a different problem.” Leicester return to the stadium on Saturday to face Malaga. Before a ball was kicked in pre-season, Bade Aluko seemed to be the absolute first-choice right-back to Russell Martin. After making his Premier League debut over 12 months ago and being around the squad last term, it made perfect sense for League One to be his opportunity. However, Jayden Joseph has returned from his loan spell at Tranmere Rovers in great shape. A campaign of senior football has helped him massively and he appears to have bulked-up nicely from last summer. In the second half yesterday, he linked up well with Braybrooke and Alves down the right when City had the ball. In his duels and when defending, he was strong and elegant in his play. I have been impressed with his performances so far and it does create a question of who Martin will prefer. In the coming weeks, we will start to see who is at the top of the pecking order. It's crunch time for Leicester City as they face a serious rebuilding process in League One. The transfer window is open and we will see players heading in and out of the King Power turnstiles. Every day, the LeicestershireLive football desk deliver all manner of news, features and transfer-related stories as a part of our overall package of City content. You can sign up here. Our dedicated reporter Josh Holland - who you can follow on X by clicking here - follows City home and away and offers you comprehensive coverage from matchdays, press conferences and everything that happens in between.WhatsApp: You can also get all your favourite content from LeicestershireLive's team on WhatsApp. Click here to sign up for breaking updates about the biggest stories in and around the club. 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