What Leicester City’s owner told his team’s players when Ruud van Nistelrooy became manager will now be concerning to fans after developments on Wednesday.
Leicester City have suffered relegation to the Championship after just one season back in the top flight.
Following the dismissal of Steve Cooper after just 12 Premier League matches, the Foxes opted to appoint Ruud van Nistelrooy as their new manager.
The Dutchman was unable to steady the ship, however, and it has now been reported that he’ll be leaving the King Power Stadium.
A report from the Daily Mail has said Van Nistelrooy is set to leave Leicester and former Southampton manager Russell Martin is going to be appointed in the coming days.
Whether supporters agree with the dismissal of Ruud or not, a warning Leicester’s owner sent to players last year should now be of great concern to fans.
Photo by Copa/Getty Images
Photo by Copa/Getty Images
Leicester City owner’s financial warning to players will concern fans
After avoiding two breaches already in the last 12 months, Leicester have been charged by the Premier League with an alleged breach of profit and sustainability rules in relation to the 2023/24 season this week.
Financial problems have been of great concern to the Midlands outfit for some time, so much so that Aiyawatt Srivaddhanaprabha spoke about them to players when discussing the arrival of Ruud van Nistelrooy last year.
It was reported in the Telegraph at the time that, during a chat with players, ‘Top’ mentioned the club’s finances and how paying off another manager would put a strain on the club’s already difficult financial situation and its compliance with PSR.
Seven months on, reports indicate that Van Nistelrooy is now set to be dismissed and Martin appointed.
It’s yet to be confirmed how much Leicester will have to pay the former Manchester United man, but it’s more money the club probably didn’t need to spend, and will raise fans’ concerns about the ongoing PSR problems at the club even more.
A move to sack Ruud before the club’s relegation would have made some sense, but with a spot in the Championship already confirmed and PSR once again causing the club problems this week, it seems like another, potentially very poor and costly, decision from the hierarchy.
Photo by Andrew Kearns - CameraSport via Getty Images
Photo by Andrew Kearns – CameraSport via Getty Images
Will Leicester City receive a points deduction
For some context on the club’s financial situation, we have spoken to finance expert Adam Williams.
He told us that clubs in the Premier League can lose £105m over a rolling three-year period, but this reduces for each year a team is in the Championship.
Up until 2023/24, when the most recent charge is for, the Foxes lost £202m.
In terms of a potential points deduction, Williams told us: “Given that their alleged breach appears to be in a similar ballpark to Everton’s, I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s a similar points deduction that they go for, especially given that Leicester are also charged with not providing their accounts on time and failing to give their full assistance to the Premier League.”