Leicester face major changes after relegation says Jonny Evans

Evans' team were condemned to the second tier on Sunday after Everton's 1-0 win against Bournemouth rendered the Foxes' 2-1 victory over West Ham irrelevant. Leicester are only the second former Premier League champions after Blackburn to the relegated from the top-flight.

Their fairytale title success seven years ago seems a distant memory as they face up to a first season in the Championship since 2014. A large number of players including Evans and Youri Tielemans are out of contract and likely to leave the King Power Stadium in the close-season.

England midfielder James Maddison and talented winger Harvey Barnes look set to be sold to help balance the expected financial losses of at least £60 million. Leicester boss Dean Smith also faces an uncertain future, with his short-term contract set to expire after he replaced Brendan Rodgers in April.

Former Manchester United centre-back Evans, 35, revealed the Leicester squad had said their goodbyes in the dressing room ahead of a likely close-season exodus. "It is a tough thing to take. There was silence for a long time in the dressing room afterwards. We know there are a lot of players out of contract," he said.

"There are going to be a lot of changes in the football club. It was an opportunity for everybody to say goodbye really. A lot of us don't know where we are going to end up. I said to the boys it has been an amazing five years but the club now have decisions to make. I don't think they probably know what they are going to do."

 

May 28, 2023