Leicester City were relegated from the Premier League on Sunday
– Despite a 2-1 victory over West Ham United, a win for Everton elsewhere sealed their fate
– Striker Kelechi Iheanacho has thanked the Club’s fans for their support in 2022/23
Leicester needed to win on the final day of the 2022/23 season and for Everton to drop points at home to AFC Bournemouth. Although the Foxes were 2-1 victors at King Power Stadium, a 1-0 success for Everton left City two points adrift inside the relegation zone. After nine often glorious years in the top flight, the Club will play in the Sky Bet Championship next term.
“I’m so disappointed,” Iheanacho told LCFC TV at full-time. “I have no words. I don’t know what to say.
“I just say thanks to everyone at the Football Club, the fans, and everyone that supported us right from the start to now. If life kicks you, you need to stand up and keep going. We’ll try to keep going, stay strong, and hopefully, we’ll get back up.”
That support from the Blue Army means a great deal to Iheanacho. The Foxes have been roared on by capacity home crowds and full away ends all season.
“It’s a bad time for the Club and for everyone,” the Nigeria international added. “We can’t go back now, thinking about it. We have to move forward. The fans were really amazing today. Even at the end, they were clapping and trying to support us. It’s a hard one, going down, so I just want to thank them for all their support and everything they’ve done.
“They supported the Club right from the start. We’ll try our best to come back up.”
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Leicester City must invest in building a team that can “scrap twice a week” and get promoted back to the Premier League at the first attempt.
That’s according to former City striker Alan Smith, who analyzed the club’s fortunes after they were relegated on Sunday, despite beating West Ham at King Power Stadium. A victory for Everton against Bournemouth sealed City’s fate and confirmed Championship football for next season.
It will be a hectic summer for Leicester, with seven players out of contract and several others likely to leave for pastures new. Whatever happens, City must get it right and build a squad with some qualities they are currently missing – if they are to get back up the first time asking.
Speaking on Sky Sports after the match, Smith said: “It’s a complete rebuild almost, isn’t it? You mention those players that probably will go out of the club – very talented players, the likes of Maddison, Tielemans, Jamie Vardy’s 35 now so they’ve got to find an answer there which they haven’t really in Patson Daka or Iheanacho – and they’ve got to build a team that is capable of scrapping twice every week in the Championship to haul themselves back out.
“A big overhaul of the playing staff, so it’s a massive challenge How much money they will have to spend, they should generate some from the sales, you would think, and that was the problem at the start of the season – lack of investment. They sold Wesley Fofana, didn’t they? Vestergaard and Ryan Bertrand didn’t really make an impact at all so big, big, big challenge.
“I just hope that they can do that rebuilding job in summer and formulate a good fighting outfit that can challenge to come back up on the first attempt. Not easy at all, but it’s a big club, with good support. Hopefully, they won’t be out of the top flight for long.”
