For the first time in 10 years, Leicester City will be back in England‘s top-flight as they clinched a spot in next year’s Premier League field of 20 by way of a 2-1 win over Sheffield Wednesday on Friday night, coupled with losses from both QPR and Derby County on Saturday. Those results gave The Foxes a commanding 19 point lead over 3rd placed QPR, meaning that they are guaranteed to finish either first or second in the Championship with only 6 games remaining.
The club has been led this year by a pair of prolific strikers up front in David Nugent (20 goals) and Jamie Vardy (16 goals). Nugent has also been the main playmaker for Leicester this year as well, notching 14 assists total in both cup and league matches. And consequently, it’s no shock to the system to find out that Nugent is also tied for the most appearances this year for Leicester with a remarkable 45 thus far, tied with goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel (son of the legendary Peter) for the team lead. Schmeichel himself has been impressive this year too, recording 16 clean sheets in 38 league matches, an eye-popping 42.1% of the time. In the back, The Foxes rely upon the services of club captain Wes Morgan for stability and toughness while midfielder Lloyd Dyer provides even more of an offensive punch with his 6 goals during the league campaign. At the head of it all is manager Nigel Pearson, who has been in charge since 2011 following a previous stint at Leicester from 2008 to 2010.
Off the field, Leicester City maintain a handsome transfer budget courtesy of head chairman Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha, a Thai billionaire and chairman/CEO of King Power, the sponsor of Leicester’s stadium and owner of the club in total. Srivaddhanaprabha purchased the club in August of 2010 after his King Power company had a jersey sponsorship deal for 3 prior years (they are still Leicester’s shirt sponsors today). Speaking of the kit, Leicester traditionally play in a home strip of blue (shirt) and white (shorts) while the away kit varies from year to year, with this year’s edition being an all grey number.
Founded in 1884 as Leicester Fosse, the club have been based in Leicester their entire existence and had an impressive 111 year run at their Filbert Street ground from 1891 to 2002, before moving into the then Walkers Stadium (now King Power Stadium). The highest ever league finish for The Foxes came back in 1929, when they finished 2nd overall in the then 1st Division. In terms of cup success, Leicester City have a storied history with 3 League Cup triumphs (1964, 1997, 2000) and 4 runner-ups in the FA Cup (1949, 1961, 1963, 1969).
Lastly, Leicester City contest their home fixtures at the aforementioned King Power Stadium, a 32,262 person capacity venue that has hosted several England internationals since opening in 2002 and is also home to the occasional match for the Leicester Tigers Rugby Club.
And there you have it! A little insight into the Premier League’s newest side for next season, Leicester City Football Club.