What went wrong for Leicester City this season?

Leicester City’s return to the Premier League has ended in the worst possible way. Easter Sunday’s 1-0 defeat to Liverpool at the King Power Stadium confirmed their relegation back to the Championship after just one season in the top flight – unsurprising, given the football betting odds. The loss also marked their ninth consecutive home defeat without scoring under Ruud van Nistelrooy— a top-flight record that perfectly encapsulates their disastrous campaign looking at their final upcoming fixtures. 

It’s a far cry from the Leicester of a decade ago that defied 5000-1 odds to win the Premier League and later lifted the FA Cup while competing in European competitions. That Leicester side was defined by unity, resilience, smart recruitment, and exceptional leadership. The current iteration has shown none of those qualities. 

So, how did it all go so catastrophically wrong? In this article, we assess where the Foxes could perhaps have avoided an end to the season that is a real disaster.  

Managerial carousel 

Leicester’s downfall had really begun before the season even started. Despite leading them to Championship promotion, Enzo Maresca departed for Chelsea, undermining pre-season planning and recruitment strategies that had been built around his possession-based philosophy. 

Steve Cooper was appointed as his replacement but lasted just 12 Premier League games despite accumulating a reasonable nine points from his first eight matches and overcoming the potential points deduction for breaking financial fair play rules. When Cooper was sacked in November, Leicester were just two points from safety. 

His replacement, Van Nistelrooy, oversaw an astonishing collapse, collecting just eight points from 20 games. What began as concerning under Cooper turned catastrophic under the Dutchman, with the team enduring runs of seven and eight consecutive defeats. 

Recruitment failures 

Despite spending £80 million last summer, Leicester’s recruitment was fundamentally flawed. The club sold Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall to Chelsea for £30 million but failed to adequately replace him, with expensive signings like Oliver Skipp (£20m), Caleb Okoli (£13m), and Michael Golding (£5m) making minimal impact. 

Perhaps most baffling was the loan acquisition of Odsonne Edouard from Crystal Palace, who was immediately discarded by both Cooper and Van Nistelrooy but couldn’t be returned, blocking a potential January loan replacement due to Premier League regulations. 

Of all the summer arrivals, only Bilal El Khannouss became a regular starter under Van Nistelrooy, meaning millions were spent on players who rarely contributed to the relegation fight. 

Off-field dysfunction 

Behind the scenes, Leicester has been plagued by poor decision-making and fractured relationships. Director of football Jon Rudkin has become the focus of fan frustration, with protesters flying a plane over the stadium against Liverpool displaying the message: “King Power Clueless. Sack the Board.” 

Player management issues have further complicated matters. Harry Winks, an experienced midfielder, was frozen out after refusing to stay overnight at the training ground hotel between sessions, preferring to return to London to be with his newborn child.  

Jannik Vestergaard, another commuter from London who signed a three-year contract extension last summer at Maresca’s request, was similarly marginalised. 

The road ahead 

The statistics paint a grim picture — 16 defeats in 18 league games under Van Nistelrooy, no home league goals since December 8, and a club record of consecutive home defeats. Fan apathy has replaced anger, with many supporters feeling nothing will change regardless of protests. 

As Leicester prepare for life back in the Championship, the challenges ahead appear even more daunting than those faced following their previous relegation. The squad lacks cohesion, financial restrictions loom, and the club’s leadership appears bereft of direction. 

For a club that once embodied the perfect underdog story, Leicester’s current plight serves as a stark reminder of how quickly football fortunes can change when poor decisions cascade into catastrophe.