Russell Martin has ruled out Wout Faes and Woyo Coulibaly for Stockport County today, but both Leicester City players could be back in the squad very soon. The Leicester boss said they have trained properly again after a spell of uncertainty late in the transfer window.
That matters now because Stockport vs Leicester City is the next checkpoint for a defence that has been stretched by absences and unsettled futures. Martin said Faes and Coulibaly had four or five days of real uncertainty last week, but both are now back training and moving closer to availability.
For Leicester, the update is more than a simple matchday note. Faes was not used in any of the opening seven matches across all competitions, and Coulibaly’s minutes have already been sparse despite starting in the Carabao Cup defeat to Ipswich Town at the end of August. Martin said both can definitely play very, very soon, which points to a squad decision that is turning back in their favour.
The details behind that change explain why the situation drew so much attention. Faes was the subject of a rejected bid from an unnamed side in mid-August, then saw a move to West Ham United fall through on deadline day. Around the same time, reports in Italy said Coulibaly’s late loan move to Genoa collapsed. Both players appeared to be on the way out, and both are now training properly again at Leicester.
That shift may not solve everything immediately. Even if Faes returns to contention, he would add to Martin’s centre-back choices rather than forcing a clear reshuffle, with six centre-back options now in view. Coulibaly also has work to do on the right side, where Jayden Joseph and Bade Aluko are still ahead of him in the pecking order. Leicester have also added Ilari Kangasniemi and Warren O'Hora this summer, giving Martin more cover as he sorts out the shape of his squad.
Martin’s message leaves one simple answer for today and one bigger question for what comes after it: Faes and Coulibaly are out against Stockport County, but their return to Leicester City looks close enough to change the picture for the next match, even if the exact timing is still not confirmed.
