The Leicester collapse by the numbers

Leicester City finished the 2025-26 WSL campaign in 10th place, barely surviving the drop while creating a meager 1.04 expected goals (xG) per 90 minutes. Now, Everton have officially signed Finland international striker Jutta Rantala, marking the third Leicester player to make the exact same journey across the North West this window.

Rantala was not just another rotation piece in the Midlands. She directly generated 42% of Leicester's total league goals last season, registering 6 goals and 4 assists across 22 appearances. When you factor in key passes per 90 (1.85) and progressive carries into the penalty area (2.1), Leicester are forfeiting nearly half of their functional attacking output to a direct mid-table rival.

Mapping the structural loss

Losing Rantala completes a devastating trifecta of squad gutting. Across the 2025-26 season, the three players who swapped King Power for Goodison Park accounted for 1,840 completed passes and 58% of Leicester's total progressive line-breaks.

Without Rantala pulling wide into the right channel to trigger press-resistance, Leicester's shot creation numbers plummet from an already modest 9.2 shots per 90 down to a projected 5.8 based on remaining personnel. That puts them below relegated Bristol City's historical baseline of 6.4 shots per match.

The efficiency trap

Surpassingly, Rantala performed these numbers despite playing in an environment with just 38.4% average ball possession. Her conversion rate of 18.7% on limited service was the sole reason Leicester stayed clear of the drop zone by a thin 4-point margin.

Everton, meanwhile, completed 4,120 passes in the defensive and middle thirds combined last term, yet ranked 11th in final-third shot efficiency. Acquiring Rantala isn't a speculative punt for Everton; it is a calculated extraction of the precise link-man required to fix their finishing problem.

The grim reality facing King Power

Replacing 10 direct goal contributions on a strict Leicester budget presents a tactical nightmare. Internal options currently average a goal involvement every 340 minutes, compared to Rantala’s mark of one every 188 minutes.

If Leicester fail to recruit a high-volume carrier who can match Rantala's 3.4 shot-creating actions per game, they are heading into the new season with a league-worst attacking profile. The numbers do not lie: Leicester City's foundation hasn't just cracked, it has been actively disassembled.