Leicester City’s rise following the takeover by new owners, The King Power Group, back in August 2010 is quite a remarkable story in its own right. Championship Play-Off Final heartbreak to Watford in the 2012/13 season, was replaced by joy the following year as manager Nigel Pearson led them into top spot and saw them lift the English second-tier title. This also saw them return to the Premier League for the first time since 2004.
Their top-flight return was not quite an enjoyable one as the club spent a large portion of the campaign rooted to the bottom of the table and they looked destined for the drop. However, they rallied right at the end of the season and from mid-April onwards their form was incredible, putting together seven wins from the final nine fixtures to end their Great Escape campaign in 14th place in the table. Few people looking at the remaining Premier League matches in April would have seen a turn in fortunes like that coming.
That incredible form, under new manager Claudio Ranieri, continued the following year and although nobody in the wider world of football was expecting it, they ultimately went on to lift the Premier League title, shocking everyone along the way.
That success could not be repeated but they did enjoy a couple of seasons of European football, but having started slipping down the league last season, things went especially wrong in 2022/23 and they finished in 18th place, two points from safety, and suffered relegation back to the Championship on the final day of the campaign.
Responding to the disappointment, Chairman Aiyawatt Srivaddhanaprabha, said in a statement.
“Relegation is undeniably a significant setback, but it will not define us. Today we share the loss and the pain of relegation together. But we will be back. We achieved things and share experiences together that nobody will ever forget. We completed an ascent nobody thought was possible – from relegation favourites to Premier League champions and one of the greatest sporting stories ever told.”
Adding.
“These milestones (winning the Premier League, FA Cup and having European runs) 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. This past season has been the most difficult for all of us to endure. 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 from happening to us again in the future. 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.”
With manager Dean Smith and a number of high-profile and experienced players out of contract when the season officially ends, it will certainly be a busy summer for the club as they look to bounce back at the first time of asking.
