Leicester City may go on the hunt for Martin O’Neill after sacking Claudio Ranieri

Leicester City could make another attempt to lure Martin O’Neill from the Republic of Ireland hotseat after sacking title-winning boss Claudio Ranieri last night, writes John Fallon.

Before their Thai billionaires appointed the Italian in July 2015, they were rebuffed by their former manager O’Neill, who chose to see out his FAI contract till the end of the European qualification campaign and last summer’s finals.

O’Neill and the FAI have refused to confirm whether his new deal for the current World Cup tilt includes a release clause, something the Srivaddhanaprabha family would be keen to activate.

Key to any managerial appointment at the King Power Stadium is the influence of Jon Rudkin, Director of Football and Club Secretary Andrew Neville.

 

O’Neill worked under Rudkin during his successful stint at the club between 1996-2000 and played a part in recruiting Neville from his former club, Norwich City.

“I think they (Leicester) had a number of candidates they were interested in and just wanted to know my position,” O’Neill subsequently explained about their approach in July 2015.

Since then, the Ireland manager’s international career has taken flight, both at the Euros and in the present series of qualifiers.

Leicester Supporters Trust chairman Ian Bason said: “I can’t see Martin O’Neill coming back and Nigel Pearson looks even more unlikely.

“It’s a massive decision to make. Swansea and Hull have seen a change of manager and gone on a good run but look at Crystal Palace… there’s no guarantee it’s going to have any success.”

He added: “It’s really quite sad, it seems strange timing to me. The new manager can’t make any signings so he’s got to get a different response out of the existing players.”

“I think some fans would prefer an English manager but who are you going to go for?

“I doubt we’ll be able to get Eddie Howe from Bournemouth so it’s going to be a question of who comes in and can they have a quick impact, not knowing the players so well?”