Full-backs for Leicester City have been pivotal throughout history. Whether it’s Christian Fuchs, Steve Whitworth, or Ricardo Pereira, it’s fair to say the club has had a great amount of quality in the position. The Premier League and FA Cup victories certainly sum up this idea, especially due to their importance both defensively and offensively. Here are the five most expensive Leicester City full-backs ever.
Five Most Expensive Leicester City Full-Backs Ever
5. Woyo Coulibaly – £3 Million
With the Foxes struggling and fighting for survival in the Premier League, they splashed the cash on Woyo Coulibaly. The versatile profile joined from Serie A side Parma, and became Ruud Van Nistelrooy’s only signing for the club. Despite this, he managed just one Premier League start and five overall appearances for the club.
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Although Coulibaly is an option for the left or right, he struggled to solidify himself. The likes of James Justin, Pereira and Luke Thomas all remained ahead in the pecking order, and sometimes even kept the 26-year-old out of the entire squad. The following season in the Championship didn’t prove to be an opportunity for Coulibaly either. The Mali International returned to Italy, where he made 18 league appearances for Sassuolo. He is set to return to England, but with City now in League One, a move away is more than likely.
4. James Justin – £6 Million
A product of the Luton Town academy and eventual mainstay in the first team, Justin is a well-accomplished full-back. Back-to-back promotions with the Hatters, alongside a place in the League One Team of the Season, led to his move to the East Midlands. Under Brendan Rodgers, he didn’t immediately become a pivotal player due to competition with Ben Chilwell on the left and Ricardo Pereira on the right. However, with COVID-19 disruptions and an injury to the Portuguese international, Justin eventually found himself regularly in the starting eleven.
The following season, the run of form continued, thus making the fee look like a bargain. However, injuries would soon become synonymous with his career as an ACL scare left him sidelined for the club’s historic F.A. Cup win. Good performances following the lengthy time out earned him an England cap under Gareth Southgate versus Hungary. Despite this, injuries struck once again as he was left out for much of the Foxes’ dismal 22/23 campaign. Seasons marred by inconsistency soon followed, though upon leaving in 2025, he is back to his best for Leeds.
3. Victor Kristiansen – £17 Million
At the time of Kristiansen’s arrival on Filbert Way, the club were in a relegation battle. Rodgers’ side was severely underperforming after a quiet summer transfer window. Due to this, the left-back arrived at the King Power, alongside Tete and Harry Souttar. His first three appearances saw three wins in a row against Walsall, Spurs and Aston Villa respectively.
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Regardless of this, City still faced relegation, and due to the arrival of Enzo Maresca, Kristiansen subsequently departed on loan. He failed to impress again during the 2024/25 campaign, which even led to him being ousted by Luke Thomas towards the end of the season. The 25/26 season was another one to forget for the 23-year-old; he played just five times in league action. Injury issues and ambitions away from Leicester seem to be the precursor for that eventual exit.
2. Timothy Castagne – £21.5 Million
Following the departure of academy graduate Ben Chilwell for a fee of £50m, Castagne was touted as a replacement. The Belgian International appeared on both the left and right for Atalanta and was part of the side that reached the Champions League quarter-finals. Due to this, City broke the bank in the summer of 2020, as Castagne arrived in a deal worth £21.5m.
Injuries to Justin, Pereira and Castagne led to a crisis at full-back, although City did manage to win the F.A Cup in his first season. In the next two seasons, 78 appearances came in all competitions as the highs of European football and lows of relegation were experienced. Subsequently, the 29-year-old made his move to West London with Fulham for a fee in excess of £13m.
1. Ricardo Pereira – £22 Million
Ricardo Pereira arrived in the East Midlands back in 2018. It was a busy summer for the Foxes, as they also added James Maddison and Youri Tielemans to the side. Ricardo, who was already a Portuguese international, quickly became an integral part of the squad. For a period, he was the best right-back in the world, spearheading City to European football. However, like others in this list, injuries caught up to him. Almost a year on the sidelines meant he missed large parts of football during COVID-19. Whilst an Achilles tendon rupture left him out for half of the relegation season in 2022/23.
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Despite these struggles, he still showed moments of that quality, albeit less consistently. A goal against PSV to send Leicester through to a European semi-final certainly lives on in the memory. Even under Enzo Maresca, he flourished as an inverted full-back, who would constantly create from midfield. His technical ability has never been in question; the athleticism and availability have. The past two seasons have been tough with Ricardo not managing to kick on as captain. Ultimately, City suffered consecutive relegations, whilst the 32-year-old is set to depart this summer.
Eight years on from when he initially arrived, a tearful Ricardo waved goodbye to the City fans. He left the club in a stark contrast to when he joined. Relegated two days before the game at Ewood Park, and now set for a season in the third tier. Regardless, Ricardo goes down as one of the club’s greatest ever defenders.
Featured Image Credit:
IMAGO / Every Second Media
