OFFICIAL: Shakespeare sacked by Leicester
All's well that ends well. Leicester City boss Craig Shakespeare has been given the boot after his side could only manage to scrape a 1-1 draw with West Brom at the King Power Stadium on Monday night.
The 53-year-old has only been in permanent charge of the club since June but will now have to seek employment elsewhere after being sacked in the wake of Monday's draw with West Brom which left the 'Foxes' struggling in the bottom three of the Premier League after the first eight games of the season.
Shakespeare stepped into the breach (dear friends once more) following the sacking of Claudio Ranieri in February and successfully guided the club to the Champions League quarter-finals and a 12th place finish.
There was much optimism surrounding Shakespeare's permanent appointment, however his time at the helm quicky turned into a comedy of errors.
Despite an apparent unwillingness from the board to do so, Shakeaspeare was given the job on a permanent basis in the summer but after just one win in eight league games so far this season he has been shown the door.
Club chairman Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha will now scour Europe for a new boss.
Shakespeare's sacking comes just four months into a three-year contract, with English publication 'The Sun' expecting him to receive a pay-off in the region of £1m.
It is understood that the Englishman was called to a meeting with the club's Thai owners on Tuesday and informed of the decision to relieve him of his duties.
Shakespeare's sacking seems somewhat harsh following a turbulent summer which saw star man Riyad Mahrez agitate for a move away from the club and fellow key player Danny Drinkwater jump ship for Chelsea on deadline day. To make matters worse, Drinkwater's replacement Adrien Silva is unavailable to play after Leicester filed his transfer documentation 14 seconds too late.
Frustration had been growing in the stands on late and despite Mahrez rescuing a point last night, it was not enough to save his manager.
The news was confimed by the club at around 19:00 GMT, with club vicechairman Aiyawatt Srivaddhanaprabha releasing the following statement: “Craig has been a great servant to Leicester City – during his spells as an Assistant Manager and since taking over as Manager in challenging circumstances in February. His dedication to the Club and to his work has been absolute and the contribution he made to the most successful period in Leicester City history is considerable.
“However, our early promise under Craig’s management has not been consistently evident in the months since and the Board feels that, regrettably, a change is necessary to keep the Club moving forward – consistent with the long-term expectations of our supporters, Board and owners.
“Craig is and will remain a very popular, respected figure at Leicester City and will be welcome back at King Power Stadium in future, both professionally and as a friend of the Club.”
Michael Appleton has been placed in caretaker charge of the team.