Leicester City

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BBC Radio Leicester's Jack Rafferty and former Foxes winger Matt Piper have been discussing the "togetherness" between Enzo Maresca, his backroom staff and his players on the When You're Smiling podcast.

Rafferty said: "Pre-match, we were hearing Enzo Maresca talking about those pictures of members of the squad round his house, watching the Leeds game and celebrating when promotion was confirmed.

"We were taking the mick saying, 'Oh yeah Enzo, you told us in your pre-match press conference that you were going to have a quiet night-in with the family and you were going to have some pizza.

"But he said that the players just turned up. He didn't invite them - they didn't pre-arrange it - the players just rocked up on his doorstep!

"I think that is just another sign of that togetherness, not just amongst the players but with the staff and hierarchy as well."

Piper added: "There has been adversity this season and that has probably brought the group even closer together. The things that have happened off the pitch, financially, will have brought the group together.

"We went on a real poor run, only winning one in six [games], but all of a sudden great teams, great squads, great managers come together. They fight through that adversity.

"Leeds can say that they are the best team in the league all they want, but when it got tough for them the wheels actually did fall off. We pulled together and fought through that adversity.

"I think we have to listen to what some of the players are saying and what the manager is saying because it is unheard of.

"I have never heard of players inviting themselves round to their manager's house to have a party because they have been promoted.

"When we won the Premier League, it was Jamie Vardy's house. Was Claudio Ranieri there? I don't think he was.

"Special groups do special things together - and this is definitely a special group."

Listen to the full podcast on BBC Sounds

Leicester have held talks with 37-year-old English striker Jamie Vardy about extending his stay at the club. (Mail), external

Want more transfer news? Read Wednesday's full gossip column

Leicester City's record eighth Championship title win is the result of a mentality rebuild from Enzo Maresca.

Last May, the Foxes were left devastated by relegation from the Premier League with a hugely expensive squad that at times just did not look up for the fight.

But Maresca's infinite belief in his system and philosophy, coupled with the development of key young players like Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, Stephy Mavididi and Mads Hermansen, has been vital.

Another crucial aspect of their success has been the experienced players turning up when needed.

Jamie Vardy, Harry Winks, Jannik Vestergaard, Ricardo Pereira and Conor Coady have all been emphatically important.

They can now celebrate their success and look forward to what will be an incredibly tough Premier League campaign, particularly with the looming threat of a points deduction for an alleged breach of the profit and sustainability rules.

The final step of the season this weekend could see the Foxes reach 100 points. That would kick-start the celebrations across Leicester, with the Championship trophy waiting to be lifted...

It is often said by Foxes fans that following Leicester City can be a rollercoaster ride. Well, this season it was more like Wacky Races.

All set to race, we discovered the drive we had sacked the previous season - the Hooded Claw - had been replaced by Peter Perfect.

We went into the first corner well ahead and soon opened up what looked like an unassailable lead, with the possibility of new records being set as we disappeared out of sight.

We were well ahead when Dick Dastardly from Elland Road sabotaged our petrol tank and then, as we we were running out of gas, caught us up and overtook us - albeit for only a single corner.

Penelope Pitstop from Suffolk was proving an annoying adversary. Every time we thought we had lost her, she would pop up in our rear-view mirror.

Then with Dick Dastardly finding reverse gear and Penelope losing to her neighbour in the pits, it looked like no-one wanted to cross the finish line.

But, with a couple of late fastest laps, Peter Perfect crossed first and we just waited to see if it was enough to be crowned champion.

With the Professor Pat Pending brushed aside, Leicester - sorry, Peter Perfect - won the title.

We may start the next race at the back of the grid - but I cannot wait for it to being.

Chris Forryan can be found at Leicester Till I Die, external

Championship title winners Leicester City will be able to sign players during the summer transfer window, despite being put under an embargo by the English Football League. (Mail), external

However, the Foxes will have to sell players before 30 June to avoid profit and sustainability rules (PSR) charges next season, with midfielder Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall attracting interest from Brentford, Brighton and Fulham. (Mail), external

Want more news? Read Tuesday's full gossip column

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As "champions again, champions again, champions again - ole ole" rang out from the away end at Deepdale, former Foxes winger Matt Piper gave his assessment on the 3-0 victory which clinched the Championship title for already-promoted Leicester City.

Speaking on BBC Radio Leicester's When You're Smiling podcast, Piper said: "We were already promoted but we wanted the icing on the cake with a good performance and a win against Preston North End.

"It warms your heart and brings a tear to your eye. They are bouncing around down there. They are so proud, because we've not had it all our own way in the previous 18 months to the start of this season.

"The manager has been questioned and so have the players. They have gone through some adversity, on and off the pitch, with the financial situation.

"But when it mattered and when they needed to, they dug really deep. That is what champions do."

Over 5,700 supporters made the trip and Piper praised the players for making their way over to the away end straight after full-time: "It is incredible. This is what you work for.

"You know when you were a little kid, and you wanted to become a professional footballer, these are the sorts of things you would see in your mind.

"It's not just the goals you score, the clearances you make, or the saves you make - it's standing in front of a packed out away end with your arms above your head, sliding on your knees, dancing around with your team-mates, knowing that you have secured promotion and won a trophy.

"They have finished it off in style.

"What a night. What a team. What a manager. What a performance this season."

Listen to the full podcast on BBC Sounds

Former Leicester City striker Matty Fryatt is thrilled that the Foxes have gained promotion back to the Premier League at the first time of asking, and says that over the course of the season, they deserved it more than any other side in the second tier.

On the latest episode of BBC Radio Leicester's When You're Smiling podcast, Fryatt said: "It is just fantastic, the response. To bounce back from last season.

"It is not easy being in the Championship again. The point is proven again by Leeds going to QPR. It's a difficult game.

"Over the whole season, [Leicester] have deserved it. They have been the most consistent and yes, it's been a bit wobbly and nervous at the end but all in all, it's fantastic.

"It sets us up nicely to go back into the Premier League."

Fryatt was also full of praise for Enzo Maresca's players, who have stepped up in 2023-24.

"Players that were discarded from the Premier League campaign - ones that weren't playing - came back into the starting XI and they have played their own game," he said.

"Up until February, it was a foregone conclusion that Leicester were going to win.

"Massive credit for what Enzo has done. It was vital to get back up at the earliest opportunity.

"It's OK for one year - but then we need to be back up there where we we belong, and that's in the Premier League."

Listen to the full episode on BBC Sounds

BBC Sport's chief football news reporter Simon Stone has been answering your questions.

Tony asked: What are your thoughts on Leicester potentially starting next season with a points deduction? Is it right to carry over punishments until a team returns to the Premier League? What if it had taken Leicester 30 years to go back up - would they have faced a points deduction in 2054?!

Simon replied: Last point first Tony, I think if Leicester had not come back up, if guilt had been proven, the points would have been deducted by the EFL, who have their own investigation.

I have sympathy with the leagues here. A lot of people say this stuff should have been dealt with more quickly. But how? Clubs have to submit their accounts to the league by the end of December. Then they have to be assessed, charges brought forward if needed, then legal argument, then a hearing, then an appeal. This all takes time. It is naïve to think this can all be sorted in a matter of days.

Leicester argued the EFL did not have the legal right to assess their accounts for a period when they were a Premier League club – and they won. They delayed the case. That was their right. What ‘faster way’ is there?

We asked for your thoughts on how Leicester City have managed to bounce straight back up to the Premier League, the key to the Foxes' rapid return, and your initial expectations for next season.

Here are some of your replies:

Vin: Maresca has done a brilliant job, reinstalling confidence and a unified team ethic, after the dismal end to last season. He stood fast against calls to change his playing approach, which kept us at the top of the Championship for 99% of this season. This league is tough! Hopefully next season there will be some strengthening up front, as we only have one striker in Jamie Vardy!

Wayne: We've had a passionate manager in Maresca, who has implemented a solid style. Mistakes are being made, but he is excelling in bringing everyone together to complete the task, and he did change things up after a while. Vardy is back in the Premier League, but we need to learn about wages and contracts in order to keep Maresca. It was hard fought and I'm absolutely buzzing.

Alex: Harry Winks is the beating heart of this team. Absolute, often underrated, quality. Without him pulling the strings and leading the midfield, we wouldn't have been promoted - end of. We have had great players and performances throughout, but Winks is the only outfield player who has not missed a game all season. The hero.

Karl: We weren't as good as we thought we were, or as good as the other teams thought we were. By the time the other teams had sussed us out, no amount of drop in form was going to be enough to stop us from going up. However, if a points deduction and/or transfer embargo is imposed in the close season, we are already swimming in treacle! I wouldn't change being a life-long Leicester fan for the world!

Nathan: It has been a strange season of well-crafted but, at times, slow football. We were top of the league for most of the season, but there was still an uneasiness at times with Enzo. I thought we might bottle it but then the players appeared to have used their initiative by passing it forward and shooting more. Who would have thought it? However, the invisible board and disconnect with the fans hurts.

Aaron: I lost heart in following the Foxes after they sleepwalked into relegation. It seemed Vichai's legacy was tarnished. The gamble with Maresca has clearly paid off and I hope the club can be smarter now in the financial aspects. If we start the new Premier League season with a points deficit, Everton have shown it is possible to stay up.

It is confirmed. Leicester's 12-month exile in the Championship is coming to an end and all without having to do anything, as Leeds fell on their sword at QPR.

Enzo Maresca's usual Friday pizza night with his family would have tasted extra sweet.

But how have they done it?

What has been the key behind their rapid return?

And what are your initial expectations for this version of the Foxes in the Premier League?

Let us know here - and come back on Monday morning to see what the fans said.

Image source, Getty Images

When Leicester City dropped out of the Premier League last term, it brought an end to a decade of unparalleled success for the Foxes.

Just seven years earlier they had won an almost unfathomable Premier League title under Claudio Ranieri, and in 2021 they lifted the FA Cup for the first and only time in their history.

It all started with promotion as Championship title winners in 2013-14, and now the decade has been bookended with another promotion.

Jamie Vardy was there 10 years ago as an enormously gifted livewire, and now as a 37-year-old former England striker, he has helped fire them back to the top flight with 18 goals in all competitions.

Vardy and a number of last season's relegated side have had pivotal roles, with Nigeria midfielder Wilfred Ndidi playing alongside Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall - who has provided 14 assists to go with his 12 goals - while Jannik Vestergaard, Wout Faes, Ricardo Pereira, James Justin and Hamza Choudhury have shone in defence.

But it took a fundamental shift in football philosophy to turn Leicester from the flailing Foxes that went down 12 months ago into today's promotion-clinching outfit.

Manager Maresca, a treble-winning assistant to Pep Guardiola at Manchester City last season, has stuck steadfastly to an approach that places patient, deliberate and possession-based football above all else.

Last summer's additions of midfielder Harry Winks, who has 10 caps for England, ex-Arsenal and Juventus winger Stephy Mavididi, and on-loan Sporting Lisbon forward Abdul Fatawu provided fresh attacking impetus.

And the assured presence of Mads Hermansen, who was named goalkeeper in the Championship's team of the season, also cannot be understated.

Leicester City are just 90 minutes away from securing promotion straight back up to the Premier League and they know a win against Preston North End on Monday night would be enough to reinstate their top-flight status.

Indeed, should Leeds lose at Queen's Park Rangers on Friday night, a quickfire return to the Premier League will be confirmed.

Former Leicester City academy graduate Ian Baraclough believes the Foxes will need to rise above the outside pressure once again to reach their objective of promotion.

"All of the teams have shown it [struggling under pressure]. Ipswich and Leeds could have gone above Leicester, and they did, but then dropped back because they didn't get the results," he said on the When You're Smiling podcast.

"I think Leicester have shown, especially over the last two games, that they are set fair and their minds are on it [winning promotion and the title].

"I think they have got good experience in the team in the likes of Conor Coady, Jannik Vestergaard, Jamie Vardy, and Harry Winks although he's not an old one, have got really good experience and they are used to these occasions.

"I think Leicester will go and get the job done. They will go and make it a celebratory day and night at home to Blackburn. I think they will have too much for Preston and they will get the job done without relying on anybody else."

After climbing the football pyramid with Scunthorpe United during his playing career, Baraclough also explained how it feels to be so close to promotion.

"You just cannot wait for the next game.," he said. "In all honesty, you don't worry about anyone else.

"They will perhaps watch the Leeds game and let's hope my old team QPR can help Leicester get over the line. That way it will become two celebratory fixtures - away and at home - so the fans can savour it for the two games [that are left].

"However, the players will be expecting the results to go the way of Leeds and Ipswich. They will be fully focused on what they need to do, preparing throughout the weekend and looking forward to the game.

"At this stage of the season, training is at a minimum to be honest. It's about going through processes, looking at analysis and not doing so much on the legs.

"They will just be getting themselves ready to rock and roll on Monday [against Preston North End]."

Listen to the full podcast on BBC Sounds

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Leicester boss Enzo Maresca is pleased that his side only need one more win, but is still expecting a "tough game" on Monday.

The Foxes face Preston North End in their penultimate game of the season and it is in their own hands to confirm promotion back to the Premier League with three more points.

They sit top of the table on 94 points, four points ahead of Leeds United and five ahead of third-place Ipswich Town.

"It's a good feeling, to be honest," Maresca said in his pre-match news conference.

"As we said many times, it is a very long season, so to be in the place that we are in now is a good feeling.

"Before Southampton, we didn't know how many points we needed, but now we know, we're just one win from promotion. It's a good feeling but now we need to win one more.

"It's just about the Preston game. We know it will be a tough game. They beat Leeds, beat Ipswich, beat Coventry. So it's a tough game, but we are going to try and prepare like we have all season."

By the time Leicester travel to Deepdale, they could already be guaranteed their top-flight spot if Leeds were to lose to QPR on Friday, but the Foxes boss will not be watching.

"Friday night I usually watch my son's session," he added. "Then, because it is the weekend, we have a pizza with the family, so we will do the same. Yes, I will be checking sometimes but it is good [that we need just one more win]."