Leicester City’s relegation from the Premier League has been a long time coming, with the club far from “absolutely fine” as previously thought. The mentality of the board, led by Aiyawatt ‘Top’ Srivaddhanaprabha, and their loyalty to under-performing manager Brendan Rodgers set the tone for the club. Rodgers openly spoke about his desire to move on players he didn’t see as part of the future, but when that didn’t happen, he was left with players who knew their manager didn’t rate them.
Leicester’s lack of signings last summer is also pointed to as a reason for their struggles, with transfer plans being pulled due to the lack of a big money player being sold. Rodgers’ transfer record wasn’t great, and the club found it difficult to offload certain fringe players last summer. The board should have seen the writing on the wall back in September after another heavy defeat, but nothing happened.
Rodgers was eventually sacked after failing to reignite the season, and Dean Smith was appointed as his replacement. However, Smith and his backroom team failed to keep Leicester up, with the players’ lack of hunger being a significant issue.
Director of football Jon Rudkin must bear some responsibility for the decline, allowing high-value assets to walk away for nothing and giving average players sizeable pay packets and long-term contracts. The club’s income could drop by two thirds due to relegation, and they currently spend 85% of their turnover on player wages.
Leicester must undergo a massive reset if they are to mount any kind of challenge for promotion next season, with a new manager needing to be appointed and high-value assets sold. The club’s golden era is well and truly over, and lessons must be learned to prevent complacency from setting in again.