By Amaechi Agbo
Super Eagles midfielder and his club, Leicester City will not be part of the 2025/2026 Premier League season after the club’s relegation from the topflight was confirmed on Sunday.
Their relegation. a second in a row, was confirmed Sunday following their 1-0 home loss tp league leaders, Liverpool.
A second relegation in three seasons, and instant return to the Championship, was confirmed soon afterwards as Trent Alexander-Arnold’s second-half winner put the visitors within three points of the Premier League title.
It has been a calamitous season after last year’s Championship triumph, with two managers, four wins and no home league goals for almost five months.
The drop had been coming – Leicester have won just once since December – and there was an air of resignation around the ground, even before Alexander-Arnold’s strike.
There are unhappy and disconnected fans, players accused of giving up, and a manager in Ruud van Nistelrooy who, despite his pedigree as a player, has seen the Foxes get worse on his watch.
There were some boos at full-time, but the majority of home fans had already left. Those who stayed offered a smattering of applause, yet it was an empty gesture.
The teething problems in moving away from Enzo Maresca’s style – less expansive and working the ball quicker – were just part of the issue.
The departed Maresca, who led them to the Championship title last season before joining Chelsea, was well-liked by the squad and Cooper struggled to connect with players, even if some of the senior members of the squad – including Jamie Vardy – were onside.
Yet, since the opening two games – a 3-1 win over West Ham and 2-2 comeback draw with Brighton in December – Leicester have won just four points.
Leicester City return to the lower division has cast doubts on Wilfred Ndidi’s future with the former Premier League winners. With clubs included Saudi Arbia Pro Leagues sides monitoring the development, it remains to be seen if Ndidi would follow the Foxes, once again, down to the Championship.
