Coventry City heartbreak may trump Leicester City promotion for Man City talent
Callum Doyle’s ambition at a tender age is to play as often as possible to develop, which hasn’t been the case despite a likely promotion this season.
Callum Doyle joined Leicester City on loan from Manchester City in the summer and could be set for promotion to the Premier League after narrowly missing out with Coventry City last season.
News of Leicester’s interest was first reported by The Athletic, who claimed Enzo Maresca was targeting a raid on his former club and the young Man City centre-back was a target. However, they suggested a deal could be struck on a permanent basis. The reported valuation for Doyle was said to be between the £7 million – £10 million mark.
A loan was eventually agreed upon, as – despite his obvious talent and high ceiling – Doyle was not going to get minutes with his parent club again this season, so another loan was always on the cards, and this time it was going to be be for a team expected to fight for automatic promotion in the second tier, and not just the play-offs.
Doyle is no stranger to a promotion in the EFL, having won promotion with Sunderland via the play-offs in 2022, and coming close to a repeat of that in the Championship play-off final, with Coventry narrowly losing out on penalties to Luton Town at Wembley.
The left-sided centre-back spent the 2021/22 campaign in League One, making 44 appearances for the Black Cats. A loan in the second tier followed in the previous season, as Doyle joined Mark Robins’ side, where he made 46 appearances and developed further as a footballer.
With Maresca having joined the Foxes in the summer from City, the Italian will have used his connections at the club to ensure that they won the race to land Doyle over other interested suitors. It was an obvious next step up for Doyle after his first two EFL loans had been a success.
Albeit, last season ended in disappointment for the young defender, the experience will have done him plenty of good from a personal development perspective. On paper, the move looked perfect for all parties involved: the player was getting another good temporary home to nurture and grow, Leicester were getting another good defender added into their ranks, and from Man City’s perspective – he would take further strides forward as a player for a better side once again.
