Inside Leicester's fall from Premier League champions to League One after relegation confirmed

Jack Otway
Wed, 22 Apr 2026 09:03:22 +0000

Leicester City's fall from grace is now complete.

A decade after pulling off the most remarkable title triumph in English football history, the Foxes have tumbled into League One following Tuesday night's 2-2 draw at home against Hull City.

It's their third relegation in just four seasons, a staggering collapse that nobody could have predicted when Claudio Ranieri's 5,000-1 outsiders lifted the Premier League trophy in 2016.

Some have tried to argue this is simply the natural cycle of football, that a club of Leicester's size was always destined to return to earth eventually.

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That's nonsense.

This is entirely self-inflicted. The club had everything going for them and threw it all away through catastrophic mismanagement, negligence and disastrous decision-making.

Owner Aiyawatt 'Top' Srivaddhanaprabha may have good intentions, but he's overseen an absolute disaster. It's been an era of blunders from top to bottom.

He's put far too much trust in senior figures like chief football officer Jon Rudkin, who has become a lightning rod for supporter fury.

Reports suggest Rudkin no longer feels safe walking around the city where he grew up.

Then came February's six-point deduction for breaking financial rules, which only intensified the spotlight on how King Power has been running things.

The club has recently assembled a new football structure, but it's come far too late to make any difference.

How does a professional football club end up with 15 players whose contracts expire this summer?

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This same problem plagued them when they dropped out of the Premier League in 2022-23, leaving too many players uncertain about their futures.

Recruitment has been a massive failure. The club has splashed out on wages over the past five years while struggling to move players on.

Too many average performers have been handed big-money deals.

Last season, they gave Wilfred Ndidi more than £100,000 a week just to stop him leaving for nothing.

When Wrexham bought Conor Coady for £2m in August 2025, Leicester still had to chip in towards his wages.

January's transfer window was deeply underwhelming. The refusal to bring in a centre-forward proved a costly error, leaving them with a squad that lacks any real cutting edge.

The famous team spirit that defined their title-winning campaign has completely evaporated.

Their £100million training facility is impressive, complete with luxury hotel rooms, a swimming pool and a nine-hole golf course. But it seems to have stripped away the underdog mentality that once made them special.

The relationship between players and supporters has turned toxic. Many fans insist the squad simply don't care.

Harry Winks arguing with supporters as he got on the team bus after losing at Portsmouth last Saturday summed up the disconnect perfectly.

The midfielder has clashed with three of the last four managers yet the club's social media still calls him "Winksy".

Gary Rowett arrived as interim boss in February but has managed just one win from 11 matches, drawing seven.

So what lies ahead? The drop into League One creates a financial nightmare, with enormous pressure to bounce back immediately.

Parachute payments run out in the 2027-28 season. If Leicester remain in the third tier by then, they could face serious financial trouble.

Players will see their wages slashed, but how many will actually stick around?

Ghana international Abdul Fatawu is certain to depart. Defender Ben Nelson and highly-rated academy talent Jeremy Monga have attracted interest too, with Arsenal reportedly monitoring Monga.

The club plans to rebuild around their youth academy while trying to reconnect with a thoroughly disillusioned fanbase.

Just four years ago, Leicester finished eighth in the top flight and reached a European semi-final. Now they're preparing for trips to Bromley and Burton.

It didn't have to end like this.