Exclusive: Premier League Winner Danny Simpson Calls for Urgent Leicester Overhaul

Premier League winner Danny Simpson is adamant his former club Leicester City need to find a “leader” as quickly as possible and then focus their efforts on winning promotion back to the Premier League.

The misfiring Foxes had a season forget after suffering a miserable relegation to the second tier just 12 months after their memorable promotion back to the top-flight.

And to make matters worse, the club are without a manager after sacking Ruud van Nistelrooy as their boss last week, with just over a month until the start of the new season.

The 48-year-old Dutchman’s departure was confirmed nine weeks after the East Midlands club were relegated.

Now the Foxes face their second season in the Championship in three years, with veteran striker Jamie Vardy having left and not a single summer signing for their disgruntled supporters.

Vardy, the club’s top-scorer, has been joined by goalkeepers Danny Ward and Daniel Iversen through the exit door, as well as midfielder Facundo Buonanotte and striker Odsonne Edouard.

“We don’t who the manager is going to be yet, all I’ve seen is rumours,” revealed Simpson, talking exclusively to SportsBoom.co.uk. 

“But has the decision been made already? We don’t know yet."

“Until that decision is made then how can you start deciding on which players you’re going to sign."

“You want to know who your leader is going to be – and we don’t know who that is going to be yet.”

TITLE-WINNING SUCCESS

Simpson enjoyed memorable success with the Foxes, famously winning the Premier League title under Italian boss Claudio Ranieri in the 2015-16 season.

They did so having started the campaign at 5,000-1 odds to do so before a game had been played.

But Simpson, 38, who is now retired from playing after a distinguished career which including spells with Manchester United and Newcastle United, has been left alarmed by the club’s decline during the past year.

“The club obviously want to stay in the Premier League, there’s no doubt about that,” added Simpson.

“I know it’s the Championship, but I want them to sign players that are hungry and realise it’s a massive club, with a great training ground, and the chance to go in and win the league."

“They’re (the club) still prepared to spend money on players, but it just didn’t work out last season."

“They’re going to have a complete overhaul, get a good group of players and a squad that create that bond we had when we won the Premier League."

“The club need a group of players that are all pushing together to go and try and win the league.”

POOR SEASON

The Foxes won just six games last season but more worryingly perhaps lost a staggering 25 games from their 38 league matches.

Ironically, Van Nistelrooy guided them to two wins and a draw in their final four fixtures, but his disappointing record of just five wins and 19 defeats from his 27 matches in charge ultimately cost him his job.

“The aim, for me, is that they’ve got to try and win the league and get back into the Premier League,” said Simpson.

“It’s now a rebuild, we’ve got to see what happens and, for me, the key thing is the players that are still around and have been for a while, they’ve got to help the younger players when they do come in."

“The Championship is a mad division, it’s getting tougher every year."

“It’s going to be really tough, but I hope the summer recruitment is good and they start the season well.”