Leicester are absorbing perhaps the most expensive relegation of all time and the club’s total unpreparedness for the black scenario suggests that the near future may be even more difficult in many ways.
Certainly more modest, which is not surprising after moving down one floor. But what’s worse: it’s also extremely insecure. “There will be a brutal tightening of belts and the associated draft not only in the player squad,” estimates British sports finance expert Kieran Maguire. “A lot of well-paid footballers don’t have relegation clauses in their contracts, so they become a disproportionately expensive burden on management in the second division.”
For others, their contracts expire in the summer, so the club will not even be able to cash them in, which applies, for example, to experienced representatives Tielemans or Söyüncü.
Are you also interested in why the vaunted team, which was supposed to be among the English elite, got stuck?
Two years ago, he was eliminated in the Europa League at the end of spring with Slavia Prague, but at the same time he had a great season in the Premier League, where he chased the elite quartet until the last rounds. In the same year he won the FA Cup and last year he missed the last step to the Conference League final…
After a sensational title in 2016 and subsequent premiership in the Champions League, Leicester seemed to have settled for good in English football’s hierarchy just behind the biggest giants.
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Seven years ago Leicester footballers were at the very top, now the fall has come…
Local patriot and legend Gary Lineker wrote: “If you had offered me eight years ago that Leicester would win the league and the cup and then get relegated, I would have taken it in a heartbeat. And I would also say to you: don’t be ridiculous!’
But even he now surely feels that concerns about Leicester have a real basis. The Thai owner, the operator of airport shops King Power, already suffered covid losses during the season before last, the flow of money to the club decreased and, according to observers, the traditional “golden parachute” that English clubs receive after relegation from the Premier League will not be a significant boost. compared better with the huge difference in income from broadcasting rights, for example.
Leicester also have to use the package to solve loans that were linked to TV money…
And the voluminous payroll also needs to be thinned out, after the clubs from the big six, it was the most expensive in the past Premier League season; that is mainly why the current failure was given the unflattering label Most Expensive.
“I don’t want to go to any war with the club,” former manager Brendan Rodgers hinted at problems behind the scenes as he criticized management’s inaction in the transfer market.
Also for financial reasons, the captain and team leader Schemichel, together with Vardy, the last man from the champions’ starting line-up, left without a replacement.
It was the start of a chaotic season that ended in failure. It’s up to Leicester to stop all the confusion in time. Otherwise, after relegation, he is in serious danger of being even worse in a year.