Top contenders to be the Leicester City manager-essentiallysports.com

Talk about emotional roller-coaster rides, Leicester City is proving to be part of quite a strong one. From the bottom of the table at christmas and winning 7 out of the last 9 games of the season, to staying up and then surprising everyone by beginning the following season in a remarkable way and going on to write one of the greatest sports stories by winning the Premier League, all eyes were on Leicester City and their title defense this season.

Though most people didn’t give them a chance to defend their astonishing title win, most expected Leicester to entertain the way they did last year. But, Leicester has been far away from the side that was running riot over any opponents thrown against them last season. The season moving on towards the end, Leicester find themselves at the wrong side of the table. Currently placed at 15th in the League table with just 24 points from 26 games, Leicester once again find themselves as part of a tight relegation battle.

And to make matters worse, they have now sacked their title winning manager and FIFA’s last years Manager of the Year award winner Claudio Ranieri from the helm. With time running out fast, the Foxes need to find a suitable replacement for the Italian. Here, we take a look at the possible contenders to take charge of the Foxes side who are in need of some urgent resurgence.

GARY ROWETT

Gary Rowett’s name has been doing the rounds for the Leicester City managerial position as he is without a club ever since his surprising and harsh sacking of many from Birmingham City in December 2016.

The young Englishman has caught the attention for his impressive managerial skills at Birmingham, where he took the struggling side from the bottom places to finish 10th in the season.

He was surprisingly sacked in December 2016 with his side in the 7th position and the decision did raise a few eyebrows. In his stint at the club, he managed 106 games for Birmingham winning 42 and loosing 32 with a decent win percentage of 39.6.

He began his managerial career with Burton Albion and he had a win percentage of 44 with Burton. Rowett might be an interesting pick for Leicester but his inexperience in his managerial career and in the Premier League might be a big blow to his chances. But Rowett, if given the chance would love to take up the challenge and could well end up surprising everyone.

ALAN PARDEW

When talking about experience in the Premier League, Alan Pardew is a name that has got lots of it. The Englishman was awarded the Premier League manager of the year when he was in charge of Newcastle United after guiding the Magpies to European football after a long gap. He had earlier impressed in the Premier League with West Ham when his side finished in a very impressive 9th position.

With Leicester’s current situation, his experience of grinding out few results could well come in handy. Pardew has had a history of forming solid teams who are tough to break down and Leicester could well like to be one themselves as soon as they can.

But Pardew has had his problems on the longer run, as most of the times his teams have been a hit or miss side. He could put together a string of astonishing results or could have a team seriously short of performances. Will Leicester have enough courage to back Pardew for the job? If he ever does come in, he will definitely be a force to reckon with.

NIGEL PEARSON

With Leicester City caught at the wrong side of the table and fighting for their Premier League status, the board and the fans would be tempted to see a man who knows the club and the players at the helm. And who better suits that template than the former Leicester City manager Nigel Pearson. Pearson and his Leicester city side were part of a dramatic escape a couple of seasons ago and the current Leicester squad is somewhat similar to what he had during his time.

Though they are in a much better position in the relegation battle than what they were last time out, Pearson, if brought in would have a tough task in his hands as he would be battling it out for the Premier League status of the defending champions. But the fact that Pearson knows the club and the players might give him a strong vote.

CRAIG SHAKESPEARE

The timing of Leicester City’s sacking of Ranieri has also raised a few eyebrows. The champions find themselves part of a sticky period and without a permanent manager at the helm as the season runs down to its conclusion.

And what it does mean is that the availability of some of their top choices could be in question and perhaps a longer run in charge for the current caretaker Craig Shakespeare.

His first game in charge against Liverpool might give him and the club an added confidence boost that he has enough in him to bring the best out of the current squad. Also, the fact that Shakespeare has been a long term number two would mean that he knows the dressing room and the players closely enough.

If the Leicester City board hand him a period till the end of the season, Shakespeare might as well fancy his chances of impressing the club for the main job.

ROBERTO MANCINI

Clearly the bookmakers favorite, Roberto Mancini could be a serious contender and a front runner for the Foxes job. A former Leicester City player himself, and a man who has high regards for the club, Mancini could accept the job if offered to him. And in Mancini, Leicester will get a man who knows what it is like to manage a Premier League club and how to do it successfully. Mancini was in charge of the Blue half of Manchester and led them to their historic Premier League title.

A man who has been there and knows what it is like to win the title, Mancini could prove to be the right man for Leicester. The fact that Mancini had expressed his interest in returning to the Premier League also makes him the top contender for the job at Leicester.

With his no nonsense style of management, Mancini could well be the man who could give the current crop a sudden landing to the ground and to give them the push to hit the ground running again.