We have already spoken at length about possible exits from the soon-to-be EFL Championship side, as well as giving a possible line-up should the East Midlands side be unable to manage transfers they wanted. There are no surprises at this point. Ruud van Nistelrooy knows if he leads the Foxes into the next campaign, it will be with a heavily altered squad.
However, the priority then becomes what changes are needed and what positions ought Leicester City to prioritise in both recruitment and youth promotion. It is difficult to exactly predict what could happen, with much hinging on certain players deciding themselves whether to stay or go, or if the club needs to try and force out talents to comply with Profit and Sustainability Regulations.
Leicester City's manager speaks
Nistelrooy may still lead the King Power side into the Championship. If he does, Jon Rudkin should be ignored and the Dutchman's demands should form the foundation of the new team. After all, I trust the coach who has worked with a subpar group of unfit and unpassionate - overpaid - players, over Rudkin et al who has struggled to provide quality transfers for multiple seasons.
The head coach has been asked whether he felt the necessary fitness and physical levels were present at the club when he arrived at Leicester City. Of course, with relegation now confirmed, that is obviously the case.
"No, but I felt there were possibilities to improve. Together with the people here, there are so many possibilities to make things better and improve... Talking about standards, that’s part of that"Ruud van Nistelrooy
The standards for a Premier League club were not there. They did not develop over the season, with some heads dropping and others just failing to reach the levels we required. We also had far too many key players getting injured or becoming lethargic as matches progressed.
This makes what Nistelrooy commented very relevant. The Dutchman wants the King Power club's identity to become developing, physically strong, and passionate players mixed with a foundation of homegrown talent.
"We look at the academy players... They are part of the set-up and it’s part of moving this club forward... There are many talents there and it’s great to include them in the future plans to create a foundation of homegrown players"Ruud Van Nistelrooy
The Foxes have Will Alves, Sammy Braybrooke, Henry Cartwright, Wanya Marcal-Madvidaua, Jake Evans, Jeremy Monga, Joe Wormleighton, Bade Aluko, Ben Nelson, and many more youthful stars. This club has a strong youth setup. That ought to be where a large portion of our senior players come from.
That would have two effects, and the Championship is the perfect place to start this. Firstly, those youth stars looking to develop somewhere and to eventually get minutes in senior football to kickstart their careers would see Leicester as a strong contender with a pathway to the senior side. Secondly, the money saved in not spending £15-25m consistently on new signings means you can focus on only crucial positions in the market.
Inevitably, Leicester City is losing Jamie Vardy, will probably sell Patson Daka, and already got rid of their other senior striker options. At the back, Jannik Vestergaard lacks the physical attributes to be a challenger at high levels, while Conor Coady is not getting younger and Harry Souttar remains injured and under utilised with the Foxes. Oh, and let us not forget the positional weakness of Wout Faes and James Justin, or the incessant injuries to our Portuguese rocket man Ricardo Pereira.
Nistelrooy's team will need a new centre-back, fullback, and striker as priorities. If these are targeted, then the recruitment team needs to bring in those young players who are physically in the right place, showing the mental attitude to push on and work hard. We do not need more 30+ years old experienced signings who come to see out the rest of their careers. We need standards.
Ruud van Nistelrooy's progressive style of football was an improvement on the bland style offered by Steve Cooper. The players were not up for it, and the coaching set up has not been good enough to implement it. The identity of Leicester City has to develop to what will maximise the benefits of this brand. We need more Abdul Fatawu's and last season's Harry Winks.
Which players do you think Leicester ought to promote from the youth setup into the senior side, and which positions do you feel warrant transfers to improve the first team? Let Foxes of Leicester know through our social channels. Here are some of the youth players we want to see promoted.