Leicester City manager Russell Martin braces for squad exits

Leicester City manager Russell Martin says the club must brace itself for more exits as he continues to strip back and reshape his squad for the realities of League One.

The message was clear in his first league game in charge. Wout Faes and Stephy Mavididi, both heavily involved in pre-season, were nowhere to be seen in the matchday squad for the season-opening draw at Notts County.

Mavididi had even started the EFL Cup win over Northampton a week earlier. Faes also featured in the warm-up fixtures. Then came Meadow Lane and a notable omission for both.

Their absence did not look accidental.

Transfer tension in the background

Martin did not name destinations or deadlines, but he left little doubt that Leicester are preparing for life without the pair once the transfer window closes.

"I think we're navigating and managing change in the best way," he told BBC Radio Leicester, underlining the scale of the rebuild.

"They've been really respectful, I think we're treating them with respect. Whilst they're here, they train, they're involved. We just feel that for us, we have to be prepared to be without them."

Leicester have already rejected offers for both players, Martin confirmed. The interest is strong, the situation fluid.

"And if they stay, no problem, we'd be really happy with both being here, but with the level of interest that we have. We've turned down bids for both, but that's ongoing, so we'll see, but I'm not sure any will go soon."

So they wait. The club, the players, the head coach. All of them operating under the shadow of a window that could still reshape the dressing room again.

Late blow at Meadow Lane

On the pitch, Leicester were minutes away from starting their League One campaign with exactly what Martin craved: a statement win and a clean sheet to settle nerves.

Instead, an 81st-minute equaliser for Notts County punctured that sense of control and left the Foxes with a point that felt lighter than it should have.

Martin put the late setback down to something far less tactical and far more human: anxiety.

"I think that's the biggest learning for us," he said. "If we don't look after each other with the ball like we didn't in the last 20 minutes, the game becomes like that and it doesn't suit us."

The pattern was familiar to anyone who has seen a young side cling to a narrow lead.

"It's the only frustration and it's because we have a couple of moments that make us anxious and we don't play with anywhere near enough intensity and detail with the ball in our half and it keeps coming back."

The ball kept returning. So did the pressure. Eventually, the lead disappeared.

Young core, old problem

For all the frustration, Martin refused to turn on his players. He knows what he has: a raw, energetic group still learning how to manage games in a division that punishes hesitation.

Yet there were bright spots. One of them came from the bench, as forward Admir Bristric made his debut and joined an attacking line that underlined just how youthful this Leicester side has become.

"I'm really happy with the group we have, genuinely," Martin insisted. "They're really young, you saw that at the end. With Admir, the front three was really young."

That youth brings pace, fearlessness and potential. It also brings exactly the kind of late-game tension Leicester showed in those final 20 minutes.

Martin knows he needs balance.

"So we could probably (do with) a couple of guys that have been there and done it to help us manage a game in that way, so we'll see, but there's nothing imminent in the next day or two."

The squad is being trimmed, bids are arriving, and the window clock is ticking. Between holding on to key players, replacing experience and hardening a young core, Leicester’s season may be shaped less by what happens on Saturdays than by what happens in the coming weeks off the pitch.