Martin O’Neill has emerged as a shock candidate to take over as Leicester City manager, 23 years after last being in charge of the club.
The Foxes are looking for a new boss after sacking Brendan Rodgers at the weekend, with the team precariously placed in the Premier League relegation zone.
Assistants Mike Stowell and Adam Sadler were in charge as Leicester were beaten 2-1 at home by Aston Villa on Tuesday night, but the club are looking for more experience to take over for the rest of the season.
The likes of Rafael Benitez and Ralph Hassenhutl have been touted, while Graham Potter has reportedly rejected an approach after his Chelsea dismissal, and O’Neill has also appeared on the scene, reports The Independent.
The veteran boss managed Leicester with great success from 1995-2000 but has not been in work since a brief stint with Nottingham Forest in 2019, but could make a remarkable return to the Premier League.
Now 71 years old, O’Neill is certainly not retired, speaking last year about how he is open to opportunities if the right ones come along.
‘I watch a lot of matches and keep in touch through my TV work,’ O’Neill told The Sun. ‘Not just the Premier League, but also the Bundesliga in Germany and the Eredivisie in the Netherlands.
‘I keep in touch and am well-equipped now, knowing these different leagues. And if an opportunity comes up that I feel fits, I would seriously consider it.’
After defeat to Villa on Tuesday, Sadler said of his position: ‘The club have asked me to take the game tonight, that’s what I have done, I know nothing more than that at this stage.
‘It’s Mike Stowell and me, it’s a partnership, we have tried to pull the guys together over the last couple of days. It has been one of mixed emotions, losing Brendan was a difficult one, he is a top manager we know, but he is also an excellent man and somebody close to all of us here. But the club made a decision.
‘We don’t know anything beyond that at this stage so let’s see what happens over the next few days. Until we hear different, Mike and I will continue to give everything for the football club, we have been here a long time, we know the people inside out, they know us so if it continues to be us we will give everything for the football club.’
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