Tottenham are close to the signing of James Maddison with the Leicester midfielder set to undergo a medical on Wednesday.

Spurs entered advanced talks with recently-relegated Leicester earlier this week and have now struck a deal for the England international, the PA news agency understands.

Maddison will move to Tottenham in a transfer worth £40million plus add-ons, having already agreed personal terms.

The signing of Maddison will represent a major coup for Spurs, who have been long-term admirers of the 26-year-old.

Ex-Tottenham boss David Pleat recommended Maddison to chairman Daniel Levy when the playmaker was still a teenager at Coventry, but no move was able to materialise and he instead joined Norwich.

Spurs’ interest and desire to eventually sign Maddison never waivered with his time at Leicester only serving to prove he was one of the most creative players in England.

During five largely successful years with the Foxes, who won the 2021 FA Cup, Maddison made 203 appearances, scored 55 goals and produced 41 assists.

While Maddison was unable to prevent Leicester suffering a shock relegation to the Sky Bet Championship last season, he was still able to hit double figures in terms of goals.

Leicester’s battle for survival saw them turn down advances for Maddison in the January transfer window but they have now agreed for him to depart.

Newcastle had registered an interest in bringing the midfielder to St James’ Park but decided to pursue a move for AC Milan’s Sandro Tonali, which left the door open for Tottenham to swoop in for their key target.

Maddison’s creativity and versatility will boost a Spurs squad that has lacked a player in his mould since Christian Eriksen left in 2020.

Once his medical is completed, Maddison will become new Tottenham boss Ange Postecoglou’s third signing following Dejan Kulusevski’s permanent transfer and Tuesday’s arrival of Empoli goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario.

Leicester have announced the appointment of Enzo Maresca as their new manager on a deal running to 2026.

The 43-year-old Italian arrives at the King Power Stadium having previously been working as part of Pep Guardiola’s coaching staff at Manchester City.

Maresca succeeds Dean Smith, who failed to prevent Leicester being relegated from the Premier League after taking charge for the final eight games of the 2022-23 season following Brendan Rodgers’ exit.

Maresca told Leicester’s official website: “I’m very excited because of the club (I’m joining) and because we have a big season ahead of us.

“At the beginning, the target is to play in the best way we can. From there, we can build, day by day, our idea and our philosophy, and the most important thing is to try to win games.

“First of all, we’re going to give 100 per cent, absolutely, because the club deserves this. It’s our job, our duty to do that. Then, as I said, day by day, step by step, absolutely we’re going to improve.”

Leicester chairman Aiyawatt Srivaddhanaprabha said: “Enzo brings a combination of personality, method and ambition that meets extremely well with the footballing direction we are looking to take.

“His philosophy has been built over a rich and varied career, including an outstanding education as a coach, and fits with the vision we have for this next chapter in Leicester City’s history.

“Enzo’s profile has stood out to us for some time – a feeling that was only enhanced upon meeting him and listening to his enthusiasm for the challenge ahead. I have no doubt he will be warmly welcomed by our supporters and that together we can reset the club’s course towards future success.”

Former West Brom, Juventus, Sevilla, Olympiacos and Malaga midfielder Maresca, who had a stint as an assistant coach at West Ham under Manuel Pellegrini, returned to Manchester City last summer for a second spell with the club.

He had previously been in charge of their elite development squad for the 2020-21 season, during which they won the Premier Leaguer 2 title, before departing for what proved a short tenure as Parma boss.

He leaves Guardiola’s treble winners for Leicester as the midlands outfit look to swiftly bounce back after dropping down for a first Championship season since 2013-14, a relegation that came seven years on from their remarkable Premier League-winning campaign and two years after lifting the FA Cup.

Aston Villa have agreed a deal to sign Belgium international Youri Tielemans when his contract with relegated Leicester expires.

Villa have confirmed the 26-year-old midfielder will join them on July 1 after four years at the King Power Stadium.

A statement on the club’s official website said: “Aston Villa is delighted to announce that the club has reached an agreement to sign Youri Tielemans.

“The Belgian international will officially become a Villan on July 1 after his contract with Leicester City has expired.”

Tielemans joined Leicester from Monaco in a £40million deal in July 2019 after a successful loan spell during the second half of the previous season, having begun his career with Anderlecht.

In all, he made 195 appearances for the Foxes and scored 28 goals, including the spectacular winner as they beat Chelsea 1-0 in the 2021 FA Cup final.

He also represented his country at the finals of the 2018 and 2022 World Cups and Euro 2020.

Leicester have confirmed seven players will depart the club at the end of their contracts in June, including Caglar Soyuncu and Daniel Amartey.

The announcement comes following the Foxes’ relegation to the Championship on the final day of the Premier League season last month.

Turkish defender Soyuncu joined in 2018 from Freiburg and has featured over 100 times for Leicester, while fellow centurion Amartey made his first appearances for the club during their Premier League title-winning season in 2016.

Youri Tielemans is also among those leaving, having announced his exit on Instagram last week after spending four years with the club since joining from Monaco in 2019.

Nampalys Mendy, Ryan Bertrand, Ayoze Perez and Tete are the remaining players who are to leave the King Power following the expiration of their contracts.

Captain Jonny Evans remains in discussions with the Foxes as his contract is set to expire this month, while an option has been exercised to extend Hamza Choudhury’s contract to June 2024.

Youri Tielemans has announced that he is leaving Leicester.

The 26-year-old joined the Foxes from Monaco on loan in 2019 before signing a permanent deal on a four-year contract.

Tielemans is out of contract this summer and his departure comes after Leicester were relegated from the Premier League on the final day of the season on Sunday.

Their relegation came just seven years after being crowned Premier League champions and two seasons since winning the FA Cup against Chelsea, where Tielemans scored a stunning goal to seal victory.

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A post shared by Youri Tielemans (@youritielemans)

“Dear Leicester fans, after four and a half special years and with a lot of gratitude I’m bidding farewell to this incredible club,” the Belgium international said in a video on Instagram.

“From the first day I set foot on this ground, your warmth and passion embraced me.

“Victory and triumph, love, hope and even defeat, we’ve shared many special moments together.

“I am forever grateful for your unwavering support, thank you to Khun Top, the board, the staff, the players and fans for having given me and my family a home.

“This is not a goodbye, but a heartfelt farewell. With pride, love and eternal gratitude, Youri Tielemans.”

England boss Gareth Southgate will be an interested spectator as the summer transfer window opens on June 14, with several members of his squad potentially on the move.

Skipper Harry Kane’s future has been the subject of intense speculation in recent months amid Tottenham’s difficulties, and he is not alone.

Here, the PA news agency takes a look at some of those whose club futures may lie elsewhere.

Manchester United defender Maguire has been one of Southgate’s most dependable performers in recent campaigns, but has slipped painfully down the pecking order under Erik ten Hag and has been warned his international place could be under threat. The 30-year-old, who cost United £80million when he joined them from Leicester in August 2019, has been linked with West Ham, but also with a loan move to Italy with Juventus, AC Milan, Inter Milan and Roma said to be eyeing his situation.

Kane and Tottenham both have big decisions to make this summer after the club missed out on European football. The 29-year-old will enter the final year of his current contract and if he does not sign an extension, could leave for free in 12 months’ time. Manchester United are long-term admirers of the free-scoring striker – although it has been suggested Spurs would be unwilling to sell to a Premier League rival – while both Bayern Munich and Real Madrid have been credited with an interest.

Midfielder Mount was caught up in the malaise which engulfed Chelsea during a chaotic season and six of his last seven appearances before injury ended his campaign prematurely came from the bench. The 24-year-old is out of contract next summer and new boss Mauricio Pochettino has a decision to make with Manchester United leading a posse of interested parties waiting in the wings.

Rice’s reputation has continued to blossom despite what at times has been a difficult season for West Ham, and manager David Moyes is bracing himself. Arsenal and Bayern Munich have been linked with a summer move for the 24-year-old midfielder, with Manchester United and Chelsea also touted as possible destinations, while resurgent Newcastle could offer him Champions League football, but know they may not be able to compete financially as they attempt to comply with spending rules.

Maddison, another player with 12 months remaining on his contract, seemed destined to leave Leicester during the close season regardless of whether or not the Foxes retained their Premier League status. Newcastle pursued the 26-year-old playmaker doggedly last summed and remain keen on him as they strengthen for a European campaign, but they are likely to face competition with Manchester United and Tottenham rumoured to be among his suitors.

Liverpool’s interest in Borussia Dortmund teenager Bellingham is long-standing, but reports from Spain have suggested his future could lie instead with Real Madrid. Manchester City and neighbours United have also been touted as potential buyers with the 19-year-old former Birmingham midfielder one of the hottest properties in European football.

Leicester chairman Aiyawatt Srivaddhanaprabha has dismissed calls from some supporters to sell the relegated club and promised the Foxes will soon return to the Premier League.

Despite beating West Ham 2-1 on Sunday, Leicester dropped into the Sky Bet Championship seven years after being crowned champions of England and two seasons since winning the FA Cup.

It is a remarkable fall from grace and one that Leicester chairman Srivaddhanaprabha says has led to him receiving offensive messages, some of which have been “outright abusive”.

“I have received a massive number of messages from our fans – both positive and negative,” Srivaddhanaprabha said in a statement published on the Leicester website.

“Some want me to sell the club, some using offensive and thoughtless words, and some have been outright abusive.

“But for every hurtful message I have received, I have also received messages of support, of appreciation, of unity – both remotely and from people I have met anonymously in public, who always come to say hello to me and to my family. It means a lot to us.”

Srivaddhanaprabha’s father Vichai and his family bought the club in 2010 and took Leicester into the Premier League four years later. Leicester produced possibly English football’s greatest underdog story by winning the title in 2016.

Club chairman Khun Vichai was killed in a helicopter accident at Leicester’s King Power Stadium in October 2018.

“It was the most painful experience for me and for my family, but the support and love we received from our Leicester City family made our bond even stronger,” Srivaddhanaprabha said of the accident.

“I made a commitment, as chairman, to continuing to pursue the ambition my father and I shared for the club, to ensure that the realisation of his vision for Leicester City would ultimately become his legacy.

“We want to thank you and let you know that we still have the same ambition for Leicester City that we had 13 years ago.

“The incredible support we had in our stadium yesterday, the positive messages we have received from our fans and the constructive comments we must take on-board – we will gather all this support and use it to power our recovery.

“Power to justify our fans’ belief in their club. Power to take us back to the Premier League.

“Next season is going to be tough, but it will be a year for collaboration and unity. We will come together and fight to return to the Premier League.”

Leicester finished fifth twice as well as eighth during manager Brendan Rodgers’ three full seasons in charge.

But Srivaddhanaprabha acknowledged the impact of Covid had a serious effect on the club’s finances, with summer cutbacks meaning that Rodgers was unable to significantly strengthen his squad.

The departures of long-serving goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel to Nice and defender Wesley Fofana to Chelsea also had a detrimental effect on the squad.

Rodgers left at the end of April with Leicester in the bottom three, and his replacement Dean Smith was unable to prevent relegation after taking charge for the final eight games.

Srivaddhanaprabha said: “Relegation is a consequence of 38 games and over that period, we haven’t been good enough.

“Over the coming days and weeks, we need to reflect on the processes and decisions that have brought us to this point.

“What we learn from this experience must convert into action that makes us stronger and prevents this happening to us again in the future.

“We took Leicester City into the UEFA Champions League, giving our supporters those amazing Wednesday nights, under the lights in Porto, Brugge, Copenhagen, Seville and Madrid.

“We used the fruits of that success to keep reinvesting in the club, strengthening our squad, improving the experience for our fans and starting plans for major projects like Seagrave and a stadium expansion that would give us long-term strength and growth.

“Of course, these milestones place our situation today into quite stark context, but I reference them to highlight the progress we have made as a club in the last 13 years, which gives me confidence that we will build again.

“Relegation is undeniably a significant setback, but it will not define us. Today we share the loss and the pain together. But we will be back.

“This responsibility that I continue to live is one of the greatest responsibilities in my life and I will continue to put everything into it – my passion, that of my family and the entire King Power community.”

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?

Leicester defender Jonny Evans does not know what the future holds following their relegation to the Championship.

The Foxes became just the second former Premier League champions to be relegated when their 2-1 win against West Ham was deemed meaningless by Everton’s victory against Bournemouth.

A large number of players, including Evans and Youri Tielemans, are out of contract while the likes of James Maddison and Harvey Barnes look set to be sold to help balance the books.

Evans revealed the squad had said their goodbyes in the dressing room ahead of a likely summer exodus.

Evans, 35, said: “It is a tough thing to take.

“There was silence for a long time in the dressing room afterwards. We know there are a lot of players out of contract.

“There are going to be a lot of changes in the football club.

“It was an opportunity for everybody to say goodbye really. A lot of us don’t know where we are going to end up.

“I said to the boys it has been an amazing five years but the club now have decisions to make.

“I don’t think they probably know what they are going to do.”

Defeat for West Ham concluded a disappointing Premier League campaign in which they finished in 14th, just six points above Leicester.

But their attention is firmly on next week’s Europa Conference League final against Fiorentina in what could be Declan Rice’s last game for the club.

The England midfielder looks set to be sold this summer and if the game in Prague is to be his farewell, boss David Moyes wants him to go out on a high.

“I thought he played great. It was another swashbuckling performance from him at times,” Moyes said of his performance at the King Power Stadium.

“I am really pleased how well he has played for us over the season, he has been exceptional and a credit to himself.

“And now he has the big moment to see if he can lift a trophy for West Ham and he needs to try and get ready to see if he can help us do that.”

Gary Lineker has congratulated Everton after his former club survived in the Premier League at the expense of his boyhood team Leicester.

The two clubs had been in jeopardy heading into the final round of fixtures on Sunday but ultimately Everton’s 1-0 victory over Bournemouth ensured they avoided the drop.

At one stage it looked as though it could be the Foxes who stayed up as they took an early lead against West Ham but their eventual 2-1 win was rendered academic by Everton’s result.

The Toffees ended the season in 17th place, two points ahead of Leicester, while Leeds were also relegated after a 4-1 loss to Tottenham.

Former England striker Lineker, who began his career at Leicester before spending a season at Everton in the mid-1980s, tweeted: “Absolutely gutted, but glad it’s Everton. Have a lot of love for that great football club. Congratulations.”

Leicester’s relegation comes seven years after they were crowned Premier League champions and just two years after they won the FA Cup.

Lineker added: “A word on Leicester. If eight years ago, you’d have given me the option of winning the Premier League and the FA Cup and then get relegated, I’d have snapped your hand off. Also I’d have told you not to be so utterly ridiculous.”

It has been a dismal season for Leicester and TV pundit Roy Keane was not sure how quickly they could recover.

The former Manchester United midfielder said on Sky Sports: “They didn’t seem to get any momentum into the season from a bad start. It’s no surprise to see them where they are.

“Clubs can bounce back but it isn’t easy. I think it is a rebuilding job at Leicester.”

Leeds’ three-year stint in the Premier League ended in a whimper as they were thrashed by Spurs at Elland Road.

The club had brought in Sam Allardyce in a last-ditch attempt to escape relegation with four games remaining but the former England boss was unable to engineer a recovery.

The team collected just one point from Allardyce’s games and finished in 19th position, five points behind Everton.

Keane was scathing of their performances.

He said: “They’ve looked weak over the last month or two, even with Sam coming in.

“They were fighting for their lives today and conceded four goals at home. That’s nowhere near good enough.

“Sam obviously came in too late. Defensively they look so weak. Some of the goals – it’s almost pub team defending.

“Not strong enough mentally, that desire – nowhere near good enough.”

Chelsea, meanwhile, aimed a parting shot at Leeds on social media.

Rivalry between those two clubs dates back to some hard-fought clashes in the 1960s and 70s.

In August, Leeds trolled Chelsea on Twitter during their 3-0 victory over the London club.

In that game, Chelsea tweeted the Blues were “starting to assert ourselves” just moments before Leeds opened the scoring and quickly followed with a second goal.

“Life comes at you fast!” Leeds tweeted in reply.

Now, nine months later, Chelsea have got their own back.

“It certainly does,” they tweeted.

Dean Smith says Leicester have the capability to bounce straight back to the Premier League after they were relegated on Sunday.

The Foxes became just the second former champions to drop out of the division, joining Blackburn in 1999, as their 2-1 final-day win against West Ham was not enough to keep them in the division due to Everton’s victory over Bournemouth.

They went 2-0 up thanks to goals from Harvey Barnes and Wout Faes, with Pablo Fornals pulling one back for the Hammers, but it counted for nothing.

Relegation represents a huge fall from grace as that remarkable 5000-1 title came in 2016 and they have enjoyed much more recent success as they won the FA Cup in 2021 under Brendan Rodgers, who also delivered back-to-back fifth-placed finishes.

It will be the Championship next season, though Smith, who replaced Rodgers on a short-term SOS mission last month, reckons it could be a short stay in the second tier.

He said: “The raw materials this club has is an elite club. It feels raw now and it hurts and everybody will be devastated but with the infrastructure it has got it can bounce back.

“That is what happens. There has been plenty of times where you have knocks and your job is to bounce back and make sure you improve on the things that let you down and I have no doubt the club will.

“I think it has to (reset). Any club that gets relegated, they have to find a way to bounce back. There are plenty of knocks in football, it is, we all know that week in, week out,about how you bounce back.

“From what I have seen with the infrastructure I see no reason why it can’t bounce straight back.”

It remains to be seen whether Smith will lead that charge next season as his future remains in the air.

His eight-game remit has now ended, but he has experience of winning promotion in the Championship with Aston Villa.

Smith says he has not yet thought about his long-term future but will speak to chairman Aiyawatt ‘Top’ Srivaddhanaprabha in a few days.

“Seven weeks, eight games, we didn’t speak about anything beyond that. I will speak to Top, who I have an awful lot of respect for, over the next couple of days and commiserate with him because the time and effort he puts into this football club is there for all to see.

“I am certainly not thinking about my future at the moment. It is raw getting relegated now, I’ll go away and reflect on it, speak to John (Rudkin) and Top. It’s a hypothetical question at the moment.”

Defeat ended a disappointing Premier League season for West Ham where they finished 14th, six points above the drop zone.

But boss David Moyes admitted his mind has been on the forthcoming Europa Conference League final against Fiorentina in Prague.

“It’s been on it for a long time, but what would you expect? Getting to European finals don’t come around too often. It’s been 47 years for West Ham.

“We’ve got to the final, we started back in August now going into June to the final and to try and have a good Premier League season and keep the competition going, it takes a big effort and it was a big effort to retain Premier League status and to ensure we keep winning in the cup.

“We wanted a draw because that would have got us one place higher in the league which might not mean much but it does to us, we were desperate to get there.

“We’ve got nothing to celebrate but playing against a team who has been relegated shows how devastating it can be.”

Leicester became just the second former Premier League champions to be relegated despite a 2-1 home victory over West Ham on the final day of the season.

The Foxes, who won the title seven years ago, needed to win and hope that Everton did not get three points in their clash at home to Bournemouth.

And for a large part of the afternoon that looked like playing out as they went ahead through Harvey Barnes and Wes Faes before the crushing news of Abdoulaye Doucoure’s goal for Everton came through.

And with the Toffees hanging on at Goodison Park it condemned Leicester to the drop which represents a huge fall from grace, joining Blackburn as the only teams to lift the Premier League trophy and then be relegated.

That remarkable 5000-1 title came in 2016 but they have enjoyed much more recent success as they won the FA Cup in 2021 under Brendan Rodgers, who also delivered back-to-back fifth-placed finishes.

Rodgers was fired at the start of April in a bid to beat relegation, with former Aston Villa boss Dean Smith parachuted in on an eight-game SOS mission.

But they ultimately fell just short and Smith will surely now depart as the Foxes prepare for life back in the Championship for the first time since 2014.

West Ham, who made a game of it in the second half through Pablo Fornals’ strike, were already safe and a disappointing league season sees them finish 14th – six points clear of the drop – but their attention is firmly on the forthcoming Europa Conference League final against Fiorentina.

Given the nature of their predicament it was essential for Leicester to start well and buoyed on by a loud home support, they began with impetus.

But the visitors began to get into the game and they enjoyed the better chances in the opening 20 minutes.

There was plenty of space for them to counter-attack and Michail Antonio forced Daniel Iversen into a  parried save after taking up a good position and then Fornals miscued his shot when he had more time than he thought after being played in by Vladimir Coufal.

Leicester needed to re-ignite the crowd and they did that in the 28th minute when they came within inches of going in front.

Iheanacho did well to keep Barnes’ overhit cross in, then he played a one-two with James Maddison before firing an effort that clipped the top of the crossbar.

That raised the volume levels and the roof came off the King Power Stadium five minutes later when Barnes did open the scoring.

He played a lovely give-and-go with Iheanacho, held off the challenge of Flynn Downes and then coolly stroked the ball into the bottom corner.

With Everton still drawing against Bournemouth the goal moved Leicester out of the bottom three and they surged forward for another, with Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall firing over and James Maddison curling wide.

Leicester were unable to recapture that spark in the second half and the atmosphere soured when news of Everton’s goal at Goodison Park was kindly delivered by goading West Ham fans.

It almost got even worse for them as a slick move saw Said Benrahma glide into the area but his shot struck the base of the post and the Foxes survived.

They knew that one goal on Merseyside would change things and were able to consolidate their own lead when Faes climbed highest from Maddison’s free-kick.

West Ham, whose fans were basking in their opponents’ misery and their own imminent trip to Prague, should have got one back midway through the second half when Jarrod Bowen, whose shot had been saved by Iversen, teed up Danny Ings, but the substitute embarrassingly skied over.

The Hammers did get on the scoresheet with 12 minutes remaining as Fornals surged into the area and struck home.

Leicester were able to see it out but the news they desperately craved from Goodison Park never came and a disappointing season ended in the worst possible way.

Leicester and Leeds were relegated from the Premier League after Abdoulaye Doucoure’s stunning strike secured Everton a 1-0 win over Bournemouth and survival on the final day of the season.

The Toffees were heading down as things stood at half-time in the campaign’s concluding round of fixtures, with their clash with the Cherries at Goodison Park still goalless while Leicester led at home against West Ham.

But Doucoure’s strike from just outside the area in the 57th minute subsequently gave Sean Dyche’s men the victory they needed to guarantee safety, rendering their rivals’ results irrelevant.

Dean Smith’s Leicester drop despite winning 2-1 against West Ham, Harvey Barnes having netted the first-half opener and Wout Faes adding a 62nd-minute header before Pablo Fornals pulled a goal back for the visitors.

Second-bottom Leeds join the Foxes and Southampton in the second tier following a 4-1 home loss to Tottenham as Sam Allardyce’s four-game mission to rescue the Yorkshire outfit proved in vain.

Harry Kane put Spurs in front in the second minute, Pedro Porro doubled their advantage in the opening stages of the second half, and after Jack Harrison’s 67th-minute reply, Kane – registering his 30th league goal of the season – and Lucas Moura then further boosted the visitors’ tally.

The result was not enough to see Tottenham claim Europa Conference League qualification, with Aston Villa cementing seventh place thanks to a 2-1 home win over Brighton.

Douglas Luiz and Ollie Watkins scored for Unai Emery’s side early on, with Deniz Undav then reducing the deficit just before the break.

Brentford also missed out on the final European spot despite winning, Ethan Pinnock’s late goal earning a 1-0 home victory over champions Manchester City having signed a new contract with the Bees earlier in the day.

Second-placed Arsenal thrashed Wolves 5-0 at the Emirates Stadium, where Granit Xhaka netted a brace and Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Jesus and Jakub Kiwior also got on the scoresheet.

Manchester United secured third place as they came from behind to beat Fulham 2-1 at home.

The Cottagers led through a 19th-minute Kenny Tete goal, then failed to take the chance to make it 2-0 seven minutes later as Aleksandar Mitrovic saw his penalty saved by David de Gea.

Jadon Sancho subsequently drew things level before Bruno Fernandes struck the winner 10 minutes into the second half.

Fourth-placed Newcastle drew 1-1 at Chelsea, with Anthony Gordon’s early opener for the Magpies being cancelled out by a Kieran Trippier own goal just before the half-hour mark. The Blues end their troubled season in 12th place.

Already-relegated Southampton signed off from the top flight by playing out a remarkable 4-4 draw with fifth-placed Liverpool at St Mary’s, in which they fought back from 2-0 down to lead 4-2.

Diogo Jota and Roberto Firmino – playing his final game before leaving Liverpool – had Jurgen Klopp’s men two goals up early on before things turned around via a James Ward-Prowse finish, Kamaldeen Sulemana brace and Adam Armstrong effort. Cody Gakpo and Jota then hit back for Liverpool to see the game end up all-square.

Sunday’s other match also finished honours even, with Will Hughes’ second-half goal securing a 1-1 draw for Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park against Nottingham Forest, for whom Taiwo Awoniyi had scored a sixth goal in four games.

Leicester boss Dean Smith knows he will have fulfilled a “big ask” if he can guide his side to Premier League survival on Sunday.

The Foxes must beat West Ham at the King Power Stadium and hope Everton do not win against Bournemouth if they are to avoid relegation to the Championship.

Smith was parachuted into an eight-game SOS mission following Brendan Rodgers’ sacking at the beginning of April but has recorded just one victory from his first seven games and accepts that his side have not done as well as he thought they would.

The 52-year-old has experience of producing the great escape as he led Aston Villa to seven points from their final four games of the 2019/20 season to beat the drop and says something similar would be required.

Smith said: “When you first come in you look at games and I looked at Man City, Liverpool and Newcastle and knew they were going to be tough to get points out of. I expected us probably to win our home games and nick points away from home, with probably the exception of Liverpool.

“We are a few points short of where I expected to be and that’s why it has come down to the last one.

“This would be a very proud day if we do it, but we have to win our game and rely on other results. Each escape will have its own merits, the one at Villa with four games to go was seven points. That in itself was a big ask, this has been a big ask and hopefully we can do it.”

It is only two years ago since Leicester were winning the FA Cup and fighting for Champions League qualification, but they have dropped quickly after having to balance the books in the league.

And Smith says that shows just how tough the league can be for those outside the traditional ‘big six’.

“This league is precarious. You’ve got to have really good models now to stay in the league,” he said.

“You look at Brighton and Brentford, two really good models of clubs, one I know very well because I worked there.

“It is hard. You need the finance behind it but it’s not just about finance as you can see in Brentford’s case.

“There are many different ways to stay in the league but it’s a real tough league. Very quickly you can go and lose two or three games on the spin. All of a sudden that just drains the confidence of players.”

West Ham boss David Moyes has confirmed Gianluca Scamacca will miss the Europa Conference League final next month.

Italian striker Scamacca, the £30.5million summer signing from Sassuolo, underwent knee surgery in April but there were hopes he could return before the end of the season.

However, Moyes has ruled the 24-year-old out of the final against Fiorentina in Prague on June 7.

“I see him being nowhere near it. He’s not back training and not back,” said Moyes.

“He’s still doing his rehab in Italy just now, so I don’t expect to see him back before then, no.

“He had his operation about four weeks ago, so he has still a few weeks of rehab to do but hopefully, he will be back ready at the start of pre-season.”

The Hammers face relegation-threatened Leicester on the final day of the Premier League season, knowing a win on Sunday could lift them as high as 12th, above Chelsea.

That would not be a bad result from a campaign which looked at times destined to end in relegation.

“I take every game one at a time, that’s all we can ever do,” added Moyes. “It’s a chance to get your league place higher up and we’re all well aware of the value of that in the Premier League.

“If you’d given me this position a few weeks ago I’d have snapped your hand off because we go into the last day without any real problems and, more importantly we go into it knowing we’ve got a cup final in a week or so’s time.”

Leicester need a victory and a favour from Bournemouth at Everton in order to stay up.

“I’m glad it’s a game where it’s not us needing to win it, because it was always a hard-looking game,” said Moyes. “They’ve had a great team over recent seasons, they really have.

“I think it’s a bit of a surprise to everyone that they’re in the position they are in. They have got some top players and we’re going to have to defend well and deal with it well. Hopefully, we can.”