Leicester City winning the Championship title this season wasn’t quite the upset to the sports betting odds as their Premier League triumph in 2016. In fact it was little more than was expected, and when it came was somewhat of a relief considering the Foxes near total collapse in form toward the end of the season.
Not that any of that will be remembered though when City welcome their first Premier League opponent to the KingPower in August. What shape will Leicester be in by then though and how well are they expected to do next season?
Will Kelechi Iheanacho be pivotal to the Foxes performances? Or will his top flight promise continue to go unfulfilled? Read on to find out the answer to those questions and more.
Managerial Movements, Points Deductions and Impending Firesales
Before we start analysing Leicester City’s prospects for the Premier League season we have to get a little bit of housekeeping out of the way. Namely the future of the manager, possible sanctions for breaches of the Premier League’s Profit and Sustainability Rules (PSR) and the impending fire sale of players.
Looking firstly to the manager, recent media reports suggest that Chelsea owner Todd Boehly is increasingly keen on appointing Enzo Maresca as the successor to the recently sacked Mauricio Pochettino.
(As things stand, Enzo Maresca will be the next man to be sacked by Todd Boehly’s Chelsea.)
Whilst looking for another manager just a few months ahead of the start of the Premier League campaign would undoubtedly be a hammer blow to Leicester it would however bring in some much needed money.
Money which is urgently needed to arrest the club’s worrying trend of haemorrhaging losses over the past five season. Losses which have put them on the radar of the Premier League for PSR breaches, which we are led to believe will result in a point’s deduction.
The amount of points deducted is yet to be decided but we do know from Leicester’s most recent accounts that their losses dwarf those of Everton and Nottingham Forest who received 10 and 4 points respectively, so it’s not looking good for Leicester. The departure of Maresca and the potential points deduction means Leicester are favorites for relegation in the Premier League odds.
One way the Foxes can reduce their point’s liability is by selling as many players as possible before June 30th to limit their losses for the most recent campaign whilst ensuring that they bring no additional players in.
That could mean the loss of Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, Wout Faes, Wilfried Ndidi, James Justin and Stephy Mavdidi to name but a few, all before the season officially kicks off. With all of this in mind is it any wonder that in the latest sports betting odds Leicester are 1/2 favourites to finish bottom of the Premier League?
(Leicester City will be forced to sell this summer to reduce their losses for the most recent financial year.)
What this means for Kelechi Iheanacho
There is good news and bad news for Kelechi Iheanacho. The good news is that due to Leicester’s financial issues he is likely to be a regular starter next season as the prospect of the club bringing in a better forward is highly unlikely.
The bad news however is that he’s likely to be the leading striker for a team completely devoid of creative talent that is destined to finish bottom of the Premier League. Under these circumstances the best Iheanacho can hope for is a season similar to that of Luton Town’s Carlton Morris who bagged 11 league goals as his side were relegated.
Of course there is a possibility that what we’re discussing in this article is scaremongering and the absolute worst-case scenario and that things turn out better than expected for Leicester and Iheanacho.
The club could replace Maresca with an even better manager, only receive a small points deductions and bolster their squad with savvy additions whilst getting rid of some of the bigger earners. Unfortunately the chances of all of those things happening are slightly more unrealistic than the club’s 5000/1 upsetting of the odds in 2016.
(It’s been a long time since there was big hype surrounding Kelechi Iheanacho.)
In Summary
Leicester City and Kelechi Iheanacho are in for a season of hardship due to all of the reasons mentioned above, but the 27-year-old striker has more pressing concerns to deal with, chiefly his individual form.
Last season he should have ripped up the Championship but in his 23 appearances he only mustered a measly 5 goals. That’s way below the standard expected and if he is to finally fulfil his much vaunted potential he really needs to be doubling that figure next season, regardless of his side’s struggles