After nine seasons in the Premier League which oversaw a historic league title, a Champions League quarter-final, successive seasons playing in the Europa League, and the clubs first FA Cup trophy, Leicester City have been relegated back to the Championship. Having edged past West Ham United in a 2-1 win, hopes of survival were dashed after Everton beat Bournemouth 1-0 at Goodison Park.
It was a roller-coaster of an afternoon for Foxes fans: Harvey Barnes’ first-half goal blew the roof off the King Power Stadium and at half-time things were looking promising. The good spirits soon faded after news of Everton’s goal came through, despite Wout Faes then scoring his first goal for the club.
After several fans cheered for what they thought was a Cherries equalizer in Liverpool, the West Ham travelling support jeered as the truth seeped in. Pablo Fornals’ lovely strike clawed a goal back for the Hammers, but Leicester saw the game through with the players nervously waiting on the pitch to discover their fate.
They didn’t have to wait long, Everton held their nerve and survived by the skin of their teeth. Que jubilation in Merseyside, meanwhile City’s players timidly clapped the fans whilst they wrestled with the news.
It’ll be Championship football for the first time in ten years for the Foxes as they join Leeds United and Southampton in the second division. Here are Foxes of Leicester’s three talking points coming out of the game.
The end of a Leicester City era
With title-winner club-captain Wes Morgan in attendance, hopes were high for another miracle on Sunday. Ultimately, the dream of survival faded when the Toffee’s scored.
Whilst the pain of relegation will be raw for many, for Leicester City it signals the start of a new chapter in their history. The owners, the players, the board, they can’t sit and lick their wounds, they have to be proactive to fix the issues at the club.
For Khun Top, he will need to assess how he has managed the season: his lack of action over Brendan Rodgers’ obvious fate has cost his team dearly, as has his search of an interim successor. Dean Smith, credit where it’s due, was handed a hard task and the players did look re-energised under him, but he failed the job he was set: survival.
Smith did earn the club two wins during his eight games, as well as three draws, but his spell at Norwich during the Championship should send alarm bells to the board. They must do their best in finding a long-term successor to Rodgers, one who can lift the club back into the top flight.
As per Football Insider, Smith expects that he won’t get the job on a permanent basis, whilst the club’s top target is still Graham Potter. Whether Potter would want to drop back down to the Championship is unknown, but he has proven himself to be a top manager at Brighton, something that could make negotiations tricky.
The positive from today, if any, is Leicester’s display on the pitch. Whilst nervy to begin with, the Foxes played with a freedom and confidence that has long been absent from the team. It was probably one of the most convincing wins this season. Unfortunately, it’s all too little too late.
The last goodbye
Whilst questions are circulating over who the next manager will be, even more are being asked of the player. Caglar Soyuncu is all-but confirmed to be off to Atletico Madrid, whilst Youri Tielemans will also leave upon the expiry of his contract in June.
Brazilian winger Tete failed to live up to the hype of his debut and will go back to Shakhtar after his loan expires, meanwhile it’s uncertain what the fate of Jonny Evans, Daniel Amartey and Papy Mendy will be. All three are out of contract this season, but could be very useful in the Championship.
Whilst speculation hovers over those out of contract, the real issue is the fate of Leicester’s biggest stars. James Maddison will leave the club in the summer but any deal will be at a cut-price fee – he may go for less than £40m. Timothy Castagne, whilst having a poor season by his standards, is too good to be in the Championship and a swarm of European clubs will be monitoring his situation.
A player the club will be desperate to keep, but who is far too good for the step down, is Harvey Barnes. The winger got his 13th Premier League goal of the season to open the scoring against West Ham with a beautifully composed finish. During his loan spell at West Bromwich Albion, the academy graduate tore up the Championship, and his quality could be a defining factor if the Foxes are to secure promotion next season.
Another player who could be tempted by a move away is Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall. Whilst many tout him for future captaincy at the King Power, his former side, Luton Town, have just secured promotion to the Premier League. You could imagine the Hatters would very much like their former player of the season back in their midfield for the next campaign.
Realistically, there could be a mass exodus of talent over the summer. A squad that was built for Europe is now facing wage cuts and a heavy ego hits. The likes of Daniel Iverson, Patson Daka, Wout Faes, Luke Thomas, and James Justin should all be key next season, now it’s about convincing others to stay.
Surprise new threads
Amidst the chaos and upset that the final day brought, there was another surprise when Leicester City kicked-off at 4pm: they were wearing a new kit. No big announcement or launch was put on social media, perhaps due to the magnitude of the occasion, so it came as a shock to fans as they got their first glimpse of the 2023-24 home kit.
Whilst there were rumours of Adidas’ partnership with the Foxes ending this season – news of an extension of their current deal hasn’t yet been announced – the German brand will continue to supply kits for the coming season.
The shirt pattern is plain blue once again, but both the badge has reverted back to the original colours rather than the gold design seen during the 2022/23 season. The collar is gone, instead a smart white V-neck is accompanied by the iconic stripes along the shoulders, once again in white.
We'll have 6️⃣ minutes of added time.#LEIWHU pic.twitter.com/9rWyKDmUGL
— Leicester City (@LCFC) May 28, 2023
The traditional gold implementation is bolder than ever, with a long gold stripe along either side of the shirt, doubling in width just below the armpit region and joining onto the back of the shoulders. Gold is also prominent on the back of the shirt in the form of a gold trim at the bottom of the shirt. The back of the neck also features a white fox meanwhile the club has once again opted for blue shorts rather than white.
FBS remain the kit sponsor as things stand, it signals the third year of their multi-million-pound contract with the club, overtaking from King Power as the shirt sponsor in the 2021-22 campaign. The club have announced on their website that the kit will be available for fans to buy come July 1st and will announce the away and third kit in due course.