Coady Ready For ‘Huge’ Season
The England centre-back, a part of Gareth Southgate’s FIFA World Cup squad last year, adds experience and leadership to Leicester’s first team squad. A former Sky Bet Championship title winner with Wolverhampton Wanderers, the 30-year-old knows what lies ahead for Enzo Maresca’s men in a division renowned for its complexity and difficulty.
Before getting to work, though, St Helens-born Coady spoke in depth this week, strolling through the Club’s Seagrave base. The St Helens-born defender, who spent last season on loan at Everton, explained his decision to join the Foxes, his admiration for Leicester City and what his new team have to get right if they are to secure promotion in 2023/24.
“I’ve played against the Club numerous times and it’s so, so hard playing against Leicester City,” the former Liverpool, Wolves and Everton defender said, outside the domed King Power Centre. “That’s something we need to take into the season. I’m absolutely over the moon to be here. I couldn’t wait to get down here, obviously to see everyone and get everything signed and boxed off. Now I’m here, I’m massively excited. I’ve been massively excited all summer to be fair and it’s something I was desperate to get done.”
Coady is looking forward to uniting with his new team-mates this summer – over a pre-season which will include domestic games and friendlies in Bangkok and Singapore. It starts, though, with pre-season testing on Monday ahead of a ‘huge’ season for Leicester City.
“I can’t wait,” he added. “I’ve had enough time off now. I’m ready to get going. I can’t wait to meet the lads and get into the dressing room with the boys and get on the training pitch with the gaffer and start listening to how we’re going to go about things this season. It’s a huge season and at the same time it can be a really, really good one.
“Knowing a few of the lads here as well and how they speak of the Football Club, not just that, but looking at Leicester City as a whole, it’s such an exciting place to be. I know a few of the boys from playing for England in the past. I played with Alex Smithies at Huddersfield in the past and I knew Wardy (Danny Ward) growing up. I played with Barnesy (Harvey Barnes) with England, so there’s quite a few of the lads I know already, but I can’t wait to get involved, to get into the dressing room with all the lads and get going.
“I’m massively excited about joining, so it wasn’t a hard decision. As soon as I heard of the interest, it was something I wanted to pursue. I can’t wait to get started.”
After speaking with Maresca, City’s new Manager, Coady is ready to embrace the task at hand. Speaking from experience, the Three Lions centre-back knows how tough is can be for the opposition to visit Filbert Way. Building on that and using it as springboard for success in the second tier has to be a top priority for the Foxes this term, Coady says.
“I’ve had a brief conversation with [Maresca] in terms of what he wants from the Football Club, what he wants from us as I team,” he explained. “I think it’s important that we buy into that. We’ll learn from the whole of pre-season because that’s how big pre-season can be. We need to take his ideas on the training pitch and hit the season hard at the start.
“[The challenge of winning promotion is] a massive part of why I wanted to be a part of it, why I wanted to come. To be at King Power Stadium in front of Leicester fans is a real big thing. It’s important to start the season well. That’s the biggest thing we can speak about at this moment in time. We’ll take it a game at a time and we’ll try and make it a top season for us.
“Everyone needs to be together. Everyone needs to be on the same page and pull in the same direction. We’re in for a real, real tough season. At the same time, we know it can be one of the best seasons of our lives if we do it well. All of us have to come together, learning from and understanding each other, and making sure we make it a good year for us.”
Asked for his message for the Blue Army, Coady said: “Come with us, drive us as much as they possibly can. I know first-hand what it’s like to play at Leicester City and that crowd is with the players. I know how hard it can be for opposition players. Come with us because we know what this season can be if we make it a good one. It can be one of the most special ones of our career.”