From Premier League Champions to 17th in the Championship, Leicester City Keep Falling

Leicester City have lost again. It was not a defeat against a strong team, but another sign of their struggles in the lower half of the Championship. Since the start of the new season, they have won only one match and sit 17th in the table.

Burnley have just signed Vardy, with the former Leicester City striker returning to English football after ending his spell with Italian club Cremonese. Burnley are also struggling themselves, sitting bottom of the Championship after relegation from the Premier League and going five matches without a win. However, Leicester City are not in a much better position.

The shadow of Vardy remains

Vardy and Leicester City created a miracle together, winning the Premier League title in the 2015/16 season. Leicester City's most recent Premier League campaign was in 2024/25, and there are still no signs that their decline has stopped.

Last August, FourFourTwo visited the King Power Stadium to watch Leicester City's first match back in the Championship, which was also their first after Vardy's departure. Their opponents that day were Sheffield Wednesday, a club that was in crisis at the time, with away fans protesting against the club's owner from early in the stands.

At the time, nobody expected Leicester City to fall towards League One alongside Sheffield Wednesday. Now Sheffield Wednesday sit top of the third tier, while Leicester City have won only once and are 17th in the Championship.

After the tragedy, the problems remain unresolved

The club has experienced tragedy. Nine years ago, the deaths of chairman Vichai, Kaveporn Punpare, Nusara Suknamai, Eric Swaffer and Izabela Lechowicz had an unavoidable impact on the former Premier League champions. The long-term effects of Vichai's death must be acknowledged.

In the years that followed, Leicester City faced questions over both the quantity and quality of their recruitment. Last season, when the team faced the risk of suffering a second consecutive relegation, chairman Aiyawatt Srivaddhanaprabha took responsibility.

In the long term, a lack of sustainability and testing the limits of financial regulations are issues that will eventually catch up with a club. Teams that remain stable on the pitch may be able to withstand such challenges. But clubs whose off-field decisions are as chaotic as their performances on the pitch will only sink deeper.