AdminMarc Albrighton has delivered a sobering assessment of Leicester City’s alarming decline, with the club languishing 22nd in the Championship and running out of time to avoid relegation.
With just six matches remaining, the former title winner has raised serious concerns about whether certain members of the squad are equipped for the fight ahead.
Albrighton believes a mixture of instability and unresolved issues has contributed to the club’s rapid fall, but he was particularly candid when discussing player motivation.
Several within the squad, he suggested, have been keen to leave for some time yet remain at the King Power Stadium, raising questions over their commitment in a relegation battle.
Speaking to BBC Radio 5 Live before Friday’s 2-2 draw with Preston, he said: “It’s so sad to see.
Like everybody in the country was rooting for Leicester to win the Premier League that year, I think everybody is so shocked at the downfall in such a short space of time, and such a dramatic downfall as well.
“There’s so many issues that need resolving at Leicester, whether that’s on the pitch, upstairs, on the training ground. There’s not one thing to put your finger on and say this is why that’s happening.
“There’s been changes of managers, there have been drastic changes of styles that different managers have brought in.
There are players there that have wanted to leave for a long time now and haven’t got that move. All of a sudden they find themselves in a Championship relegation battle. Are they cut out for that?
“There’s a disillusionment of the fans as well. When Enzo Maresca was in charge, he brought a real connection between the fans and the players and that’s massive at any football club.
“I look now and that could be any further apart. There’s such a disconnection between everybody at the football club. There were protests a few weeks ago and even that was divided. That creates a horrible atmosphere around the stadium.
“I just look at everything that they’re doing at the minute and it doesn’t seem to be geared towards staying in the league.”
Those seeking moves may yet depart this summer as Leicester prepare for significant financial restructuring. But for now, Gary Rowett insists focus must remain on survival.
“If you’re a footballer, regardless if you’ve got six months left, three months left, whatever that looks like, there is no benefit to not performing well. There is no benefit to not showing people what you’re all about.
“To me, if a player performs brilliantly at the end of the season and someone comes and buys him for silly amounts, then brilliant, I’ve done my job.
“There is no benefit to thinking about your own position. It’s something we need to come together on.
“Every player will have individual ambitions but you have to look at your mate standing next to you and you need him to help you out to achieve those. You need to be a team and then the individuals can go and perform and play really well within that.”
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