Thomas' Leicester Roots Explained In LCFCQ
Released earlier this year, Issue 11 of LCFCQ can be purchased online via shop.LCFC.com and be delivered straight to your door, while subscription packages for future editions are also available.
The latest edition is fronted by City No.25 Ndidi, who since joining the Club from Belgian side Genk in 2017, has become one of the most admired central midfielders in the Premier League.
Born in Lagos, Nigeria, the midfield colossus explains his roots in LCFCQ and details some of the individuals who helped him forge such a commendable career in the game.
Discussing the impact Foxes manager Brendan Rodgers has had on his performances, he explains: “When Brendan came, I saw myself growing and understanding where I can actually grow to.
“It’s hard to explain. For me, I could see a path, I could see things differently. Growing in Leicester, I’m trying to understand the game, and now, I can understand it in different directions.
“He’s given me a wider view of where this is supposed to go to make me even better. The statistics are okay, but I can be better than that – that’s the way I can explain it.”
Elsewhere, Bennett - signed from Wolverhampton Wanderers on loan earlier this year - explains his motivations for joining the Club and opens up on his rise through the Football League pyramid.
Throughout his career to date, the Grays-born defender has captained Grimbsy Town as a teenager, won promotions with Peterborough United, Norwich City and Wolves, while also starring in European competition.
Speaking to LCFCQ at Stayfree Music's recording rooms in the city, Bennett also reveals his passion for playing the guitar, a story which goes back to a friendship with former Fox James Wesolowski.
He says: “I’ve always listened to music and I enjoy going to little pubs, seeing a guy in the corner with his guitar and just listening.
“It’s a cycle really, but it’s been over the last couple of years that I’ve really picked it up. It’s not every day, I’ll play one song and then the kids are going crazy.
“It’s just one of those things that I enjoy. I can sit there for half-an-hour or 40 minutes and play a song. It’s more words in songs that mean things to me.”
Thomas, on the other hand, is an exciting talent who has emerged through City's Academy and has become a star of the Club's Development Squad over the past two seasons.
Now an enterprising left-back, the 19-year-old in fact started out aspiring to be a striker after spending his childhood watching some of the greats of the Premier League era in action after the millennium.
“I was a striker as a kid,” Thomas reveals. “Players like Thierry Henry, watching him, I just liked seeing goalscorers. I was playing striker for a good five seasons up until about Under-13s.
“That is when I first got moved to left-back. I went back as a striker for half a season and then since Under-14s, I’ve been left-back since.
“I didn’t join as a left-back, I actually joined as a central midfielder and then straight away became a striker after I signed.”
Elsewhere, Touré - a legend of the game during his playing days for Arsenal, Manchester City, Liverpool and Celtic - also looks back fondly on his success for Ivory Coast on the international stage.
Now a trusted and talented member of Rodgers' backroom team at Belvoir Drive, the Ivorian is a popular figure at the Club, but his backstory is an interesting tale going back several decades.
Recalling a childhood spent playing football with his siblings and friends in Bouaké, Touré says: “At this time, we didn’t have PlayStation, and even if we did, we could not afford to have it.
“The only thing we could have was a ball. If you couldn’t have a ball, you’re expecting your friend to have a ball that you could share together.
“This stadium was my playground, it was my PlayStation, it was my Xbox – it was everything.”
Also included within 84 pages of exclusive content is a conversation with Head of Fitness & Conditioning Matt Reeves, alongside a nostalgic look back to City's League Cup triumph in February 2000.
Club Historian John Hutchinson, meanwhile, remembers the steam locomotive called Leicester City in the mid-20th century, while NBC's Arlo White once again provides his diary of covering football.
To get Issue 11 of LCFCQ delivered straight to your door, click HERE! To get the next four editions of LCFCQ for a reduced price of £15, click HERE to subscribe now!