Leicester City may have stormed to the Premier League title, but people are wasting little time predicting relegation for the defending champions.
It seems all it takes to go from first to 18th (or lower) is the loss of one or two players. At least that’s the view of the ever-balanced folk who reply to transfer announcements on Twitter.
With less than a month to go until Leicester begin their title defence against West Bromwich Albion, the Foxes have confirmed that last season’s Players’ Player of the Year N’Golo Kanté is on his way to Chelsea.
CONFIRMED: #lcfc reach agreement with @chelseafc for the transfer of @nglkante. More follows… pic.twitter.com/Gs3QiyvGC9
— Leicester City (@LCFC) July 16, 2016
Sure, the Frenchman was crucial to last season’s success, averaging nearly five tackles per game in the title-winning campaign, but is he really as indispensable as some are claiming?
GRAPHIC: N'Golo Kanté #CFC pic.twitter.com/VkCjgUwFFz
— WhoScored.com (@WhoScored) July 16, 2016
We’re sure to find out in due course, not least when Leicester go about spending the reported £32m fee, and the fate of team-mate Riyad Mahrez will likely play a big part in determining how well Claudio Ranieri’s team perform in 2016/17.
But why wait when everyone’s so sure the champions will drop into the Championship come May?
relegated
— nemo (@NPDMk) July 16, 2016
https://twitter.com/GunnerHas/status/754315210534576128
relegation
— Reggie (@RashfordUtd_) July 16, 2016
https://twitter.com/VintageCazorla/status/754319054274519040
@hughwizzy @ChelseaFC @nglkante relegated next season 😂😂 ✊💦
— brett matthews (@_brettm12) July 16, 2016
Back in May, Leicester were priced at 28/1 to go down in 2016/17, but their odds have already halved with some bookmakers.
The Foxes finished 14th in the 2014/15 campaign, having spent much of the season in the bottom three before clambering to safety with a vital late run.
Kanté was one of six summer signings who helped transform the team from strugglers to champions, though two of the others – Yohan Benalouane and Gökhan Inler – barely featured in the league.
It remains to be seen whether the Frenchman’s exit gives Inler another chance to impose himself on the first team, or whether Ranieri delves into the transfer market.
But with Champions League football on the table, Leicester ought to have little difficulty strengthening their squad.
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