With Leicester City essentially down and out, Ruud van Nistelrooy and the club hierarchy have important decisions to make regarding the team and the management of the side. In that context, work ought to get starter early on preparations and talks with players over their futures should begin as soon as possible.
Leicester City’s manager demands talks
However, that does not mean the Dutchman has any right in commencing those talks. This seems to be the position taken by Nistelrooy. As per LeicestershireLive, the Foxes’ head coach has made comments regarding next season - obviously knowing relegation is assured.
"Coming in December and how the winter window went, taking it into the new season and the challenges we face, it’s very important for me to be aligned and [know] what possibilities are there. That alignment has to take place"Ruud van Nistelrooy
To be fair, Leicester’s coach makes a good point regarding the winter window. The King Power Club’s hierarchy performed poorly in the winter market, losing talents and only signing Woyo Coulibaly. A signing that has barely featured is clearly not good enough for a side in a relegation fight, and will not be good enough in the Championship.
However, to think that a relegation manager imagines they have the clout and authority at this stage to request talks with the club about his future and that of plans for the Championship club is simply absurd. Those talks do need to happen, but that is not a comment that should be made publicly or even be commenced at the behest of a coach that has struggled to improve performances of what is honestly an alright set of players. A lethargic and poor managed group of players.
"It was about taking into consideration how the winter window went - and everyone knows how it went, including me… we had to adjust expectations. I explained that. That was clearly communicated."Ruud Van Nistelrooy
It is clear that alignment the manager speaks of with Leicester City’s hierarchy will have to include discussion on the direction of transfer business. Importantly, should Nistelrooy be remaining head coach, then he ought to get his pick of players to leave the side, try desperately to retain, or bring in to improve the team.
Regardless of how it happens, that sort of stuff should not be public information or mentioned to journalists as part of a conversation which seems critical or cheeky regarding the club. Yes, there are conversations to be had, and yes Ruud van Nistelrooy should be involved in them, but maybe he should leave that to our unpopular and disastrous ‘Rudkin et al’.