Leicester City's nine-year stay in the Premier League has come to an end. Photo: Shutterstock/Paul Currie
Too good to go down? Leicester were too bad to stay up, as many fans had feared for some time. The investigation into this sad season will be long and painful as the club, once regarded as flag bearers, contemplate the end of their nine-year Premier League run from a golden era to a string of mistakes.
Leicester's relegation seems completely spontaneous and there has never been a greater gap between fans and players between fans and players ahead of this summer's mass exodus.
Eight players' contracts have expired, and it's mismanagement on a grand scale, and careful consideration should go beyond a team that nearly whimpered. With Leicester's indecision over the future of Brendan Rodgers, a lack of investment last summer, poor recruitment and contract turmoil, fingers have to be pointed at Aiyawatta 'Top' chairman Srivaddhanaprabhu and director of football John Rudkin.
Rodgers will be seen as the main villain and many fans hold him responsible for the club's elimination from the Championship. He led Leicester to their first FA Cup Final victory and also finished fifth twice, but things have gone drastically wrong over the past 18 months. Rogers was due to leave long before April 2nd and would probably have agreed to it.
Brendan Rogers' leaving after just over four years at the club seemed inevitable. Photo: Getty Images/Bryn Lennon
Dean Smith, his replacement, was given a near-impossible task after coming in with eight games to go, but still expected more. Many fans foresaw this decline, but the people in power either didn't believe it or refused to believe it.
While Rogers was the main target of anger, much of what he said was prophetic. He warned last year that a “healthy shake-up” was needed due to so many players running out of contracts.
After losing the FA Cup to Nottingham Forest in February of that season, he said that many of the team members had “achieved their best”. Last summer's transfer window set the tone for the entire season.
Rogers was convinced the money would be available and counted on signing, but assumed he would be informed upon his return to preseason that financial brakes would be put in place. Some of his comments about the funds disappointed Lester, who privately insists that Rogers was always fully aware of the threat of potential financial fair play violations.
When the detachment did not increase over the summer, it seemed that its departure was a matter of time. The departure of the titled goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel to Nice was a serious mistake: he was one of the highest paid players in the club, and Leicester were not ready to offer him new conditions, and Rodgers' relationship with the Dane escalated.
But Schmeichel's leadership and experience were sorely lacking, and Danny Ward replacing him backfired.
Three days before the start of the season, Kasper Schmeichel ended his 11-year tenure at the club. Photo: Reuters/Michael Regan.
After losing 6-2 to Tottenham on 17 September, Leicester were in last place and lost six of their seven matches. It's time to part.
The lack of violence allowed the club to drift. It seemed to involve a “everything will be fine” mindset despite all the warning signs.
That mindset seems to have seeped into the locker room: In March, James Maddison responded to what he perceived as a negative article by tweeting that “we'll be fine.”
By the time Rogers finally left, it was already too late. One of Smith's first tasks was to get Caglar Soyuncu, Wilfred Ndidi and Boubakary Sumare back in the game, such was their frustration under the previous manager. But Rodgers doesn't deserve all the criticism for the club's demise: he's one of Leicester's most successful managers and the first two and a half seasons were exhilarating.
Close attention should also be paid to Rudkin, the key figure first of Khun Wichai and then “Top”. Their decision to give guardians Mike Stowell and Adam Sadler the matches against Aston Villa and Bournemouth after Rodgers left proved disastrous.
Leicester lost both matches and two points from them would have been enough to keep the club afloat. Formerly the club's academy director, Rudkin is perhaps best known outside of Leicester as the man who informed Claudio Ranieri of his dismissal at the Radisson Blu Hotel near East Midlands Airport.
He has not spoken publicly since Ranieri's introductory press conference in July 2015 and works in a very tight circle where information leaked outside the club can often trigger an internal investigation.
Apparently, the farcical situation with contracts is his responsibility. Eight players will be leaving as free agents this summer, including Youri Tielemans, Soyunju and Johnny Evans, and it's inexplicable.
While footballers should have professional pride, how can you expect these players to fight fully when their contract is up and watch their next move? Incredibly, Leicester have seven more players with contracts expiring next summer. Maddison is one of them and he will definitely walk away for £30-40m with his former club Norwich City to take 15 per cent of the fee.
For many years Leicester have been a well-managed club, but recently recruiting has become a colossal disappointment. The £50m spent on Patson Daku, Sumare and Yannick Vestergaard in the summer of 2021 was a huge waste. Ryan Bertrand also became a free agent with big salaries and hasn't played since December 21.
A terrible season at Leicester City made the departure of James Maddison all the more certain. Photo: Getty Images/Robbie Jay Barratt. There was also a farce with Adrian Silva a year later when paperwork was submitted 14 seconds past the deadline for him to sign with Sporting. Other high-ranking officials will also be in the line of fire.
Susan Whelan, the club's chief executive, can't escape criticism despite not being involved in football decisions. Respected in Premier League board meetings, Whelan has been a strong leader at Leicester through difficult moments such as Kun Wichai's death and the Covid-19 pandemic.
The Irishwoman has also played a decisive role in the sale of some players, including the transfer of Harry Maguire to Manchester United for £80 million. Last August, she decided to break the deadlock in talks between Leicester and Chelsea over the transfer of Wesley Fofana.
The relegation will be particularly hard on Whelan, who has spearheaded the development of a state-of-the-art Seagrave training facility that will be home to a championship team next season. Her relationship with Rudkin is said to have become tense in recent months.
Departures will not just be on the field, but beyond. Simon Capper, the club's chief financial officer, has accepted a position at Newcastle United. Over the past 12 months, Capper has played a crucial role in managing Leicester's finances after a record £92.5m pre-tax loss.
John Ledwidge, head of sports surfaces and grounds who was instrumental in the development of Leicester's £100m training facility, is also believed to be moving to Manchester City's football group. There are plans to move out of the old training ground on Belvoir Drive, the home of the Leicester City women, and replace it with housing. The women's team will then be transferred to Seagrave.
While now furious about relegation, Leicester will return. Before returning to the Premier League in 2014, they spent nine seasons in the Championship and even one in League One, so it's not a new experience. They can look back on a few glorious moments: the 2015 relegation rescue under Nigel Pearson that kick-started their drive to win next season.
Unexpected visit from legend Lester Engelbert Humperdinck to watch the players practice in Los Angeles during the pre-season tour. These amazing Champions League nights in the cities of Bruges, Copenhagen, Porto, Seville and Madrid.
Winning the FA Cup in 2021 was a great second act after winning the title five years earlier. Players such as Riyad Mahrez, Jamie Vardy and H'Golo Kante signed for a total of £7m at the height of their careers.
It was a wonderful period in their history and will never be repeated, but Leicester will be back someday. Such is the cycle of football, but all this could have been avoided.
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