Leicester head to West Ham tonight full of confidence after outfoxing Wolves on the opening day.

That followed a Community Shield success against Premier League champions Manchester City as the Foxes continue to thrive under Brendan Rodgers.

While much of the focus currently is on Arsenal’s woes, Harry Kane’s future and who will challenge Manchester City for the title, Leicester are slipping under the radar again.

After back-to-back fifth-place finishes, are the Foxes ready to finally make the step into the top four?

Big six threat

It is only 2½ years since Rodgers swapped Celtic for the King Power Stadium and since then Leicester have continuously improved.

They have made the notion of the big six look silly by finishing fifth in successive seasons, even if they were knocked out of the top four on the final day of both.

Last week, Gary Neville said: “How are they not in the Champions League after what’s happened in the last two years?.

“Brendan Rodgers’ job there has been absolutely outstanding. He was courted by Daniel Levy to come to Tottenham.

“Leicester weren’t having it and I don’t think Brendan Rodgers was because he’s built something there.

“They’ve got a brilliant recruitment system. It’s more than that one-season wonder that we called it a few years ago. It’s no fluke. They’ve been consistent for four, five, six years now.”

Top four agony

Despite all their success, including an FA Cup victory, Leicester have fallen agonisingly short of securing Champions League football twice.

Their only appearance in Europe’s biggest competition came after their unlikely title triumph in 2016 — and Rodgers wants that to change.

Injuries have not helped them. Barring Youri Tielemans, every one of the Foxes’ first-choice XI spent time out injured in 2020-21.

Starting full-backs James Justin and Timothy Castagne missed large chunks of the campaign, Wilfried Ndidi had an ongoing adductor problem, Harvey Barnes did not play a game after February and James Maddison was rarely fully fit.

Those issues stretched a thin squad and saw them run out of steam at the end of the campaign.

Leicester only picked up four points in their final five Premier League games as they lost 4-2 to Newcastle and drew with a Southampton side who went down to 10 men after 10 minutes.

And the fact Jamie Vardy scored only twice between Christmas and the final game of the season, when he netted a brace, did not help.

Early bird catches the worm

Leicester refused to stand still and got their work done early in the transfer window this summer.

In came free-scoring Patson Daka from RB Salzburg, Lille’s title-winning midfielder Boubakary Soumare and experienced left-back Ryan Bertrand following his Southampton departure.

While the first two may be new names to many in England, the club’s previous record in the market means there are little doubts that they will be a success.

From N’Golo Kante and Riyad Mahrez to Wesley Fofana and James Justin, the Foxes continue to set the bar high when it comes to transfers.

Ahead of tonight’s clash, Rodgers said: “The success of Leicester is based around planning.

“We got players relatively early because 18 months ago we’d been planning forward, looking at gaps in the squad and doing the work leading up to them coming up. 

“It leaves us in a really calm place.”

The only exception was the £15m capture of Jannik Vestergaard on the eve of the season — but that was a necessity following Fofana’s leg break in the final pre-season game against Villarreal.

Improved firepower

After netting on the opening day against Wolves, Vardy, 34, shows no sign of slowing down.

Neville added: “I think he’ll play on for a good few years, he’s so fit. He’s got that pace and hunger, and that nasty edge from his non-league days that he’s carried through to the Premier League.

“I always thought that if you were playing against a striker and they were nice, that it was comfortable. Jamie Vardy just keeps coming at you.”

But this could still be the season that Leicester stop relying so heavily on Vardy. And that is definitely a good thing.

Kelechi Iheanacho netted 11 goals in his final 12 games to showcase his ability, while new boy Daka put even that record to shame at RB Salzburg.

He scored 27 in just 28 league games and given his similar style of play — getting on the last shoulder of the defender and using his pace — he should take some weight off the veteran’s shoulders.

It is not just the strikers who will help. 

Recently, winger Barnes said: “We’ve spoken together about getting more goals, more assists, more chances."

Add in a fully fit Barnes and James Maddison and suddenly the Foxes have firepower all over the pitch.

Luck needed

But for all their planning, Leicester do need the rub of the green to fall their way if they are to clear the final hurdle in their quest for the top four.

They cannot afford players to break the rules, as six of their squad did by attending a party during lockdown ahead of a damaging 3-2 defeat to West Ham last season.

Rodgers will hope that the likes of Arsenal and Tottenham continue to flatter to deceive, opening up opportunities.

But most importantly, they need the treatment room to be a much quieter place than it has been over the past 12 months.

Though the early signs are not good, with Fofana replacement Vestergaard already ruled out of tonight’s clash through injury.

That will not stop Rodgers' positivity with the boss insisting he has seen a mentality shift at the club, which means they are in a good place to continue upsetting the big six.

He said: "They have now felt that emotion of winning, that feeling of getting your hands on a trophy.

"Once you do that, it takes you to a different place. We now know what it takes to win. You want more."