A closer look at how Wout Faes, Will Alves, Sammy Braybrooke, Jake Evans and more have been getting on at their loan clubs, and what will happen to them at City in the summer
Jordan Blackwell
13:57, 18 Mar 2026
Sammy Braybrooke has been one of the best midfielders in League Two this season(Image: Lindsey Parnaby/Shutterstock)
When planning their squad for next season, Leicester City need to consider which members of their current squad will stay, which will go, who could step up from the academy, and which of the loan contingent could return to play a role.
City have 11 players out of the King Power Stadium on temporary deals at the moment. Here’s a look at each of their chances of being in next season’s squad.
Bilal El Khannouss – Stuttgart
El Khannouss has played his final game for City. The loan deal with Stuttgart was set up to become permanent this coming summer and reports from Germany suggest the threshold for the deal has now been met.
But even if it hadn’t been, he’s not going to stick around in the Championship or lower, especially after showing his star potential with eight goals and four assists in 32 games for Stuttgart so far.
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Wout Faes – Monaco
It seems Faes’ City career is also over. There’s an option for Monaco to buy the Belgian in his loan deal, but an exit seems probable even if they don’t take that up, especially with only a year left on his City contract.
But the progress the principality club have made with Faes in their back-line suggests they may be keen to keep him. They’ve won their last five in Ligue 1, keeping two clean sheets, to move from 10th to sixth. They’re now just six points off the Champions League spots.
Woyo Coulibaly – Sassuolo
Given how quickly Coulibaly sought an exit following his transfer in January 2025, it’s hard to see him back involved. That’s especially as City have Bade Aluko coming through, the teenager likely to feature more often next term. They’re not desperate for right-backs.
Still, they likely will have this summer to look more closely at Coulibaly. He’s only started five Serie A matches for Sassuolo, so a permanent deal there seems improbable, but a move to another club feels more than possible.
Sammy Braybrooke – Chesterfield
Braybrooke will almost certainly be in the City squad. All season, both at Newport and at Chesterfield, fans of League Two clubs have said he’s too good for the division. He’s ready to step up.
The midfielder has always been highly-rated but an ACL injury halted his progress. Able to get plenty of minutes under his belt this term, it feels like he’s back on track, the 22-year-old showing quality in his passing and reading of the game.
A few years ago, Jakub Stolarczyk, Ben Nelson and Kasey McAteer all stepped up from League Two loans into the first-team squad in the Championship and none made an impression in the fourth tier like Braybrooke has. It’s time for him to get a chance.
Jake Evans – Northampton
He’s another who will definitely be involved next term. After a slow start, the 17-year-old has started to make an impression for the Cobblers, his speed and intent making him the best threat in an admittedly struggling side.
With Jordan Ayew and Patson Daka out of contract and with Abdul Fatawu likely to be sold, there will be gaps in the squad up front and on the right wing where Evans can play his part.
Will Alves – Huddersfield
It’s not gone to plan for Alves at Huddersfield this season. He scored with his first touch for the club but soon after suffered injury. Just as he was making his return and beginning to make an impact again, the manager who signed him, Lee Grant, was sacked.
Liam Manning has come in and Alves has mostly been overlooked. He’s only started two of 11 games since the change in the dugout and wasn’t even on the bench on Tuesday night.
But the talent he’s shown means he will be heavily involved in pre-season at City, with a view to him being part of the squad. He’s only 20, so there’s time yet for him to flourish.
Will Alves is on loan at Huddersfield Town for the season(Image: Robbie Jay Barratt – AMA/Getty Images)
Nathan Opoku – Newport
He’s just signed a new contract but it would be a surprise if that’s with a view to him being involved in the first team at City next season.
Striker Opoku turns 25 this summer and has scored five goals in League Two this season, albeit for a Newport outfit where service will have been limited.
It feels like his new deal is an attempt on City’s part to protect themselves from a free transfer. They clearly feel there’s some value in him.
Henry Cartwright – Falkirk
It feels like he’s worth a look in pre-season. The combative midfielder has managed 34 appearances at Falkirk this season, a great tally for a player in his first spell at a senior side, albeit only 10 of those have been Scottish Premiership starts.
He’s out of contract at City this summer, and so if they did want to have him in the fold, at least over the summer, then he would need a new deal.
Tom Wilson-Brown – Swindon
Much of the above is also true for left-footed centre-back Wilson-Brown at Swindon. He’s out of contract in the summer but given his performances across plenty of minutes this term, it feels like he should get a chance to prove himself at City.
He’s received high praise from manager Ian Holloway for his displays, but injuries have halted his progress at times. He’s currently on the mend from a hamstring problem, and so hasn’t played since early February, but is expected to be able to play again before the end of the campaign and try to help the Robins to promotion up to League One.
Jayden Joseph – Tranmere
Given how impressive he was last pre-season, it feels like he deserves an opportunity to show his progress this summer. The 20-year-old has done a decent job for Tranmere, with plenty of good moments going forwards and backwards in a wing-back role.
Since suffering an ankle injury in January, Tranmere have picked up just four points in the 11 games he’s missed.
City will have Hamza Choudhury and Aluko under contract this summer, but it feels like Joseph could make a claim for a spot in the squad.
Chris Popov – Morecambe
When a loan player goes to non-league, it feels like that signals an imminent permanent departure. But Popov’s record may change that thinking.
The Welsh striker has seven goals and three assists in 11 starts for Morecambe, which is especially impressive given where they were in the table when he arrived. The 21-year-old’s contributions have helped turn around the Shrimps’ form and they now have a shot at survival in the National League.
Given City will be strikerless at the start of the summer, maybe Popov will yet get a chance.
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