Leicester were relegated from the Premier League on Sunday seven years after being crowned champions of England.
The Foxes, also FA Cup winners in 2021, beat West Ham 2-1 at home on the final day of the season but Everton’s victory over Bournemouth condemned them to the second tier for the first time since 2013-14.
Here, the PA news agency examines some of the reasons why it went wrong.
Summer of discontent
For a club that had twice finished fifth – narrowly missing out on Champions League qualification – and eighth in Brendan Rodgers’ three full seasons in charge, there was an alarming drop in expectations at the start of the camapign. Summer cutbacks meant Rodgers was unable to significantly strengthen his squad, with chairman Aiyawatt Srivaddhanaprabha explaining Financial Fair Play and Covid had hit them hard. Central defender Wesley Fofana went to Chelsea for £70million before Rodgers could bring in any new recruits and the departure of title-winning goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel, a huge character at the club for over a decade, hurt them badly.
Squad planning
Leicester had appeared to be the byword for shrewd planning for so long in English football after launching the stellar careers of title winners N’Golo Kante and Riyad Mahrez. But eight players – Caglar Soyuncu, Daniel Amartey, Jonny Evans, Nampalys Mendy, Ryan Bertrand, Tete, Youri Tielemans and Ayoze Perez, who spent the second half of the campaign on loan at Real Betis – were out of contract at the end of the season. Belgium midfielder Tielemans, scorer of the FA Cup final winner against Chelsea, was nowhere near the levels he had shown after joining from Monaco in 2019. Deals for a further eight players are to expire next year, among them England attacking midfielder James Maddison who is now set to move on.
Post-World Cup blues
After a terrible start that saw Leicester anchored to the foot of the table with one point from seven games, their form picked up before the World Cup break with five wins in eight. But Leicester’s form nose-dived again when domestic football returned in December, taking just one point from 15. Evans was not fit to marshal a leaky defence and unconvincing Wales goalkeeper Danny Ward eventually lost his place to Daniel Iversen. Foxes great Jamie Vardy became increasingly marginalised and did not score a league goal for six months as a squad deemed ‘too good to go down’ hurtled towards a relegation scrap.
Was sacking Rodgers right call?
Rodgers adopted a negative tone to Leicester’s summer strife by insisting the target was 40 points and top-flight survival. The former Liverpool and Celtic boss, more familiar with competing at the top of the table rather than the bottom, almost grew more pessimistic by the week with selection inconsistencies and injury undermining the Foxes’ cause. Rodgers was eventually sacked on April 2 after defeat at Crystal Palace had dropped Leicester into the bottom three. After Adam Sadler and Mike Stowell spent two games in caretaker charge, Dean Smith took command for the last eight – but would Leicester have been better served backing Rodgers as Nottingham Forest and West Ham did with Steve Cooper and David Moyes?
Shaw signs on as Powerade brand ambassador
Powerade on Wednesday announced the addition of Jamaica and Manchester City forward, Khadija 'Bunny' Shaw, as its brand ambassador for the next two years.
The 26-year-old Shaw, the first Jamaican to ever be nominated for the Ballon d'Or, is pleased to be on board.
"For me, personally, as I continue to grow and evolve as a human being, I want to always bring awareness as well as motivate and inspire young girls and young boys to believe in themselves and their dreams and know that with hard work anything is possible," Shaw said.
"I think with me partnering with Powerade, I truly believe that we can help to inspire and motivate young boys and girls," she added.
Andrew Mahfood, CEO of Powerade distributor Wisynco Group, said the company has known Shaw since high school.
"At Wisynco, we have been following Bunny for years, since our Coca-Cola trophy tour, and it is unbelievable to see Bunny's dream unfold before our eyes," Mahfood said.
Powerade's brand manager, Chantelle McDonald, explained the rationale for Powerade.
"As a born and raised Jamaican, Bunny is not just a footballer; she is a symbol of dedication, perseverance, unmatched skill and an inspiration for women and girls in the sport. From humble beginnings to top scorer, she plays an integral part in the rise and significance of women's football in Jamaica. We are proud to have her represent Powerade."
Powerade will support any outreach activities Shaw plans to carry out in Jamaica as part of the partnership. Shaw will also appear in Powerade's advertising campaigns and make appearances on behalf of the brand.
Daniel Levy would consider Tottenham sale if it was in best interests of club
Daniel Levy has revealed for the first time he would be “open” to selling his stake in Tottenham if it was right for the club.
Levy has been Spurs chairman since 2001 and runs affairs for majority shareholder ENIC, which owns 86.58 per cent of the club while the other 13.42 per cent of shares are held by around 30,000 individuals.
The first half of 2023 proved tumultuous for Tottenham and as a result Levy faced several calls from supporters to leave his position, but the mood in N17 has been transformed following the June appointment of head coach Ange Postecoglou.
Positivity is growing on the pitch but unrest off it remains bubbling under the surface with fans protesting before last month’s win over Manchester United due to the club’s decision to increase match day ticket prices for this season.
Meanwhile, Joe Lewis – Tottenham owner until October when he ceased to be “a person with significant control” and the club shares were handed over to his family trust – was indicted on charges of insider trading in America in July.
Takeover interest in Tottenham has grown since the club opened its 62,850-seater stadium in 2019 and earlier this year Levy met with Qatar Sports Investments chairman Nasser Al-Khelaifi to reportedly discuss QSI purchasing a minority stake, although this was denied by Spurs.
During an interview with Bloomberg on Wednesday, Levy confirmed the club’s shareholders would be open to selling the club if a “serious proposition” was put forward.
“I’ve got no real interest to leave Tottenham, but I have a duty to consider anything that anyone may want to propose,” Levy said.
“It’s not about me, it’s about what’s right for the club. We have 30,000 shareholders who own approximately 13.5 per cent. We run this club as if it is a public company.
“If anyone wants to make serious propositions to the board of Tottenham, we will consider it along with our advisors. And if we felt it was in the interests of the club, we would be open to anything.”
David Raya backed himself to be number one at Arsenal
David Raya insists he always backed himself to become Arsenal’s first-choice goalkeeper – but admits he does not know if he will start Sunday’s north London derby.
The Spain international joined the Gunners on loan from Brentford this summer in a switch which, in all likelihood, will be made permanent for £27million next year.
Raya was signed to compete with Aaron Ramsdale for the gloves and made his Arsenal debut in last weekend’s 1-0 win at Everton, retaining his place in the team for Wednesday’s 4-0 Champions League victory over PSV Eindhoven.
Arsenal’s decision to recruit the 28-year-old to battle it out with Ramsdale drew criticism and caution from some pundits but manager Mikel Arteta believes he can keep both happy.
Asked if he had to believe he could oust Ramsdale after the England goalkeeper’s strong showings last season, Raya replied: “Of course, it is something every player has to do – to back yourself to get in the team and that is why I moved to Arsenal and try to do my best for the team when I’m selected.
“You never know when you’re going to play and that is the hardest thing to do. Making your debut for a club like Arsenal, and obviously having Aaron as a team-mate makes it a bit harder for you, but it came quick but you never know when it is going to be and you have to be ready.
“It is a dream come true to play at the highest level so I’m very pleased to make my debut, but the main thing was the result and we got the three points in the end, so that is the main thing.”
Raya will be widely expected to keep his place between the posts for Sunday’s Premier League clash at home to Tottenham, even with Arteta claiming he has considered swapping his goalkeepers during matches let alone rotating between fixtures.
“I understand that and I think it is the first time that two top goalkeepers are in the same team,” Raya said of the possibility of the goalkeepers being switched.
“That is just part of football now and the gaffer wants two top players for each position and that is what we have to work with. I have played the last two games and now we see what happens on Sunday.
“I’ve just been selected the last two games, that is just the choice of the gaffer – that is his choice, not my choice and when Aaron comes in he will need to also fight for the team and to win games.
“He (Ramsdale) has been great, he is a great team-mate, a leader as well. He is a great lad and a great keeper as well, we are team-mates and that is the main thing. We are team-mates at the end of the day.”
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