Leicester City’s relegation from the Premier League on Sunday means that they will be squaring up in the Championship for the first time in ten years next season.
The 2016 Premier League champions and 2021 FA Cup winners could easily return to the second tier with a swagger and do what clubs like Burnley have done before and gain promotion back to the promised land at the first attempt. But they could also be in for a rough few years like Aston Villa, who needed three seasons in the Championship before they climbed back into the Premier League.
The Foxes have been on a steep decline in the past 18 months. It was foreseen by former boss Brendan Rodgers but even his coaching abilities had gone stale on the team he guided to the Europa League and their first FA Cup title. Leicester probably left it too late to sack him but it seems like relegation was going to be the likely outcome for whoever was in the dugout.
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Leicester had greatly fallen behind their rivals when it came to strengthening as they had to abide by the Financial Fair Play rules. The club could only afford to make four permanent transfers in 2022-23, and that had a huge impact on the season. The football had gone stale and some players had hit their ceiling at the King Power Stadium. The outcome was horrific for the fans, who had seen Champions League football just six years prior.
A huge summer lies ahead at the King Power Stadium and you can expect big changes ahead of the new campaign. For starters, there will be several key player exits. James Maddison and Harvey Barnes are the most sought after Foxes as the transfer window begins to open. Leicester will be hoping that they can get a pretty price for the two Englishmen which will help them balance the books and aid them in rebuilding the squad to compete in the Championship. Youri Tielemans is departing the club on a free transfer following the expiration of his contract and there are sure to be other players moving on between now and September. This will leave the Leicester recruitment team with their work cut out for them in the coming months
Veteran striker and the Foxes' record goalscorer in the Premier League, Jamie Vardy has another year remaining on his contract and he could play a key role, on and off the pitch, as Leicester readjust to life in the Championship. He's helped get them out of there before after all.
There are also question marks surrounding the managerial position. Dean Smith tried but couldn’t prevent a second Premier League relegation being added to his CV. The interim head coach has a wealth of experience in the Championship with Brentford, Aston Villa and Norwich City. He was the man to take Villa back to the Premier League, but his last chapter in the second tier with Norwich was not as successful.
Smith could be given the job full-time for the beginning of the Championship season which could be a smart move given he has spent the last couple of months with the squad and will be familiar with the club’s values.
Next term offers the team a fresh start and new ideas will be needed for the Foxes to build their way back to where they were. With resources, Smith could build a competitive side, similar to the one he gained promotion with at Villa in 2019.
However, if the club decides to look elsewhere for a new manager, they will need to act quickly. Many players in the squad are likely heading for the exit door and they themselves will seek moves as soon as possible to ensure that they can get a good pre-season in with their next club. Any potential incoming manager will need much of the summer to replace outgoing players and bolster their ranks which are currently understaffed.
For any would-be Leicester boss to have any chance of success, they will need to come in fairly soon to stamp their identity on the team and get the squad in shape for what is going to be a fiercely competitive campaign in the second tier.
