Leicester City’s return to the Premier League was confirmed on Friday night after QPR hammered the Foxes promotion rival, Leeds United 4-0.
Leicester have excelled in the Championship after relegation
The Foxes have excelled in the English top flight under highly-rated Italian head coach Enzo Maresca, who is very much in the Pep Guardiola fandom group of current head coaches.
With their promotion secured and only two games remaining, Leicester City has amassed an impressive 94 points in the second tier.
This outstanding performance is a testament to their dedication and skill, making their fans proud and excited for their return to the Premier League.
Only promotion rivals Ipswich Town have scored more goals than the Foxes this season. The Midlands outfit also has the best defensive record in the Championship.
However, promotion was achieved despite something of a slight wobble towards the end of the campaign. They suffered back-to-back defeats at Millwall and Plymouth before bouncing back with wins over West Brom and Southampton.
In the end, there was not much to worry about for Foxes fans, as their team had got over the line.
It may not be a massive surprise that the Foxes won promotion at the first time of asking. They have the most expensive squad and the biggest wage bill in the second tier.
However, as expected for a team suffering relegation, the Foxes lost key players such as James Maddison, Harvey Barnes, and Youri Tielemans, who all left for new pastures last summer.
Although the players who left were of high quality, their exits were not felt as much due to the club’s excellent summer recruitment.
The likes of goalkeeper Mads Hermansen, midfielder Harry Winks, and wingers Stephy Mavididi and Issahaku Fatawu have all played pivotal roles for the Foxes in their quick return to the Premier League.
If the Foxes are as effective with their recruitment in the summer of 2024 as they were the previous summer, then they could well prosper in the new campaign.
The key players for the Foxes
Leicester’s promotion bid started at the back with Danish goalkeeper Mads Hermansen, who is the epitome of the modern ‘keeper.
He is not only excellent at keeping the opposition out but also outstanding with his feet. He could be a crucial player in the English top flight.
His compatriot and centre-back Jannik Vestergaard underwent something of a redemption arc. The giant defender was poor in their relegation campaign. However, he has enjoyed a solid campaign in the second tier.
When it comes to standout players, though, midfielder Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall has shone brighter than most. Not only did he score 12 Championship goals, he also produced a team-high 14 assists.
He showed flashes of his ability in Leicester’s relegation season. However, he seemed to have upped his game since the exit of key midfield players in the summer.
The two wingers Stephy Mavididi and Issahaku Fatawu were also vital in their team’s Championship goal tally. Mavididi scored 12 goals and picked up six assists, while Sporting CP loanee Fatawu scored six goals and provided 12 assists.
However, as has so often been the case with Leicester in recent years, veteran striker Jamie Vardy topped their scoring charts in the Championship, finding the net 16 times.
Despite only 15 of his 31 appearances in the Championship being from the start, the former England international still had a big say in helping the Foxes to promotion.
Can they repeat what happened the last time they won the promotion?
The last time the Foxes won promotion to the Premier League was in 2014, and they experienced two extraordinary campaigns. In their first season back, they completed a great escape, with Vardy playing a pivotal role in their survival.
The following season, City achieved what will go down as one of the biggest sporting shocks, winning the Premier League title. It was their first-ever English top-flight title and one of the most memorable moments of the Premier League era.
In season 2024/25, Leicester will be looking to become a stable Premier League team once again. Their first priority will be survival, and then they will look to push on further up the table.
However, it seems unlikely that Leicester will be able to match their performance of season 2015/16 in their second season. It is doubtful that any Foxes fan will be expecting that of the team, anyway.
A cloud over their return to the Premier League
Unfortunately for Leicester, the prospect of sanctions due to PSR issues will cloud their return to the English top flight.
The EFL placed the club under a transfer embargo for PSR in March as the Premier League sought to improve club’s financial situations to avoid the prospect of a football regulator.
If the transfer embargo sticks, then the Foxes could be in trouble this summer. Vardy, Vestergaard and Wilfried Ndidi are all out of contract and can leave as free agents.
If the transfer embargo is enforced, the club will not be able to replace the trio if they decide to move on in the summer. Whether the trio wants to remain at the club remains to be seen.
Then, there is the issue of Issahaku Fatawu. The youngster is on loan at the club from Sporting CP, but Leicester has an agreement to sign him for a fee of £14.5m.
Considering how well he played in his temporary spell, it would be a big blow not to be able to sign him on a permanent deal.
The club could also face a points deduction after allegedly breaking the PSR rules in season 2022/23. City have issued legal action against the Premier League over the matter.
The legal action could drag the issue into next season, causing uncertainty about the Foxes’ position in the table.
Leicester has basically admitted to exceeding the financial loss limit for the period of the three-year ending in season 2023/24. The club stated they ‘may be found not in compliance with the applicable P&S rules for the three-year reporting period ending 2022-23’.
Any punishment could be avoided by generating significant funds through the sale of players before the June 30th deadline.
The obvious way of bringing in cash before that deadline would be to sell their star midfielder, Dewsbury-Hall. However, selling one of their star players would not be ideal preparation for a return to the top flight of the English game.
The club’s financial issues were mainly caused by spending beyond their means when they were in the Premier League. Their recent recruitment seems to have been far more shrewd, which will likely help the club recover financially.
Leicester should celebrate Premier League return for now
Worries about potential transfer embargos and points deductions should be put on the back burner for now. The main thing for Leicester is that they are back in the Premier League, which should be celebrated.
In Maresca, the Foxes have a highly talented young head coach who will be keen to show his managerial acumen in the Premier League amongst the league’s best head coaches.
On the pitch, things look really positive for Leicester, and the hope is that they can make a positive return to the Premier League in season 2024/25.
What would success look like for Leicester City in season 2024/25?