Reports from Leicester City indicate that the club will be finishing their search for a manager this week with an appointment of one of the candidates.
Following the sack of Brendan Rodgers a few weeks to the end of the 2022/23 season, the Foxes handed the reins over to former Aston Villa and Norwich manager Dean Smith in the interim. The Englishman helped the team get better and grind out results. Still, he lost the relegation battle narrowly, condemning the Foxes to a season in the EFL Championship less than 10 years after winning the Premier League title.
That put Smith’s chances of remaining permanently in the role for the foreseeable future in jeopardy but he remained an option for the club’s owners, who went into the market to scout for other replacements.
Former Glasgow Rangers manager and Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard is one of the names on the list, as is former Manchester United manager Ole-Gunnar Solskjaer. Solskjaer is reportedly popular with the club’s fan base but there is no information on the progress of his discussions with the owners.
On their list is also Scott Parker, who won promotion to the Premier League with Fulham and Bournemouth. His record in the top flight, however, does not inspire much confidence among the Foxes’ fan base. He was the first manager to be sacked in the major top-flight leagues in the 2022/23 season, which was a record season of sackings in European football.
Another manager who is liked by the Leicester board is Vincenzo “Enzo” Maresca, the man who replaced Juanma Lillo, Mikel Arteta’s successor, as Pep Guardiola’s assistant at Manchester City. previously, he managed Man City EDS, the club’s U-23 side and won the Premier League 2 title for them. However, his senior coaching stint at Parma did not go as planned, and he returned to City to replace Lillo.
Having been a faithful and important sidekick to Guardiola in a historic season for the Cityzens, some in the Foxes’ leadership believe Maresca now has what it takes to handle the team. Maresca is also good friends with Roberto De Zerbi, Brighton and Hove Albion’s manager and has been so for 30 years. They frequently spend time together and this fact makes him more attractive to some in the Foxes’ leadership.
The new Leicester City boss will have to oversee a total squad overhaul as eight players will be departing the squad due to expired contracts. The number could go up to 11 because James Maddison and Harvey Barnes will be moved on for profitable transfer fees and they could lose a few more players who have caught the eye of other clubs in their years at the King Power.
