Leicestershire

Kate Blakemore
Fan writer

We asked our Leicester fan contributor for their four candidates for player of the season and you can now select your top one.

Jamie Vardy

Despite at one stage having an 11-game goal drought, Vardy is our top goalscorer this season on a tear-inducing nine goals (the bar is low this year). His performances have fallen short of his usual high standards, but he has still brought some of his magic to the back of the net.

Mads Hermansen

The first half of the season, before his month-long injury, Mads had placed himself firmly in the shop window for some of the top clubs. He was pulling off some spectacular saves - his performance at Arsenal genuinely avoided a cricket score (a total of 13 saves in the match). He has shown his talent and agility in many games, and has now had surgery to get himself fit for next season - but who his club will be at the start of next 2025-26 is up for debate. Fans expect a summer sale of the young Dane and he would be worthy of any Premier League number one shirt.

Bilal El Khannouss

Possibly the only true highlight of the outfield players this season. The 20-year-old didn't come cheap at £21m but has shown fans some glimmer of hope with his ability on the ball, defensive tenacity and the odd wonderstrike. It has been a pleasure to watch him develop and, although his stats this season aren't spectacular (two goals, three assists), the potential is there and we just hope he stays this summer as the Championship would be all the better with him in it next year. He is such an exciting prospect.

Wilfred Ndidi

His lengthy injury mid-season coincided with Leicester's goal drought and many would argue this is no coincidence as we are a different outfit, especially defensively, when he doesn't feature. His stats do back that up, ranking highly in the squad for tackles, interceptions and blocks. By his own admittance, playing higher up the pitch has transformed his game, in good ways and bad, but his assured place in the starting XI is unmatched by any other midfielder in the squad.

Pick your 2024-25 Leicester player of the season from our shortlist here

And tell us why you're picking who you are, or why you'd have gone for another player not on the list, here

Find more from Kate Blakemore at Leicester Till I Die, external

Kate Blakemore
Fan writer

Image source, Getty Images

Sunday's match was a full celebration of Leicester's greatest ever player; the GOAT. The final Vardy Party.

While the match itself was a dead rubber - save for a valuable place up the Premier League table - it still provided a lot of anticipation among us fans as to whether the Leicester City hero could end his career with the perfect tally of 200 goals in 500 games. He wasn't going to leave it at 199, was he?!

As with his 'it's 11, it's heaven' goal from the title-winning season, you just felt that Vardy's sheer will and determination, coupled with the setting at King Power Stadium, 13 years to the day that he signed, would see the stars align.

They say things happen for a reason and there's a catalogue of timely events that create the perfect moment. The slip from Jack Clarke in the centre circle saw James Justin seize possession and embark on a 30-yard run, with one thing on his mind; to deliver the killer pass to Vardy, as he accelerated diagonally across the box, and caressed the ball through legs of Dara O'Shea, and over the goalline.

Elation. Joy. Euphoria. All, of course, 'shared' with the away fans. Holding the corner flag aloft, victorious in his pursuit. What an iconic moment.

It has been such a rarity and privilege to witness someone as thoroughly talented, selfless, motivated, humble, fierce, intimidating and pure box office as Vardy.

He never forgets that football is for entertainment and he has been the lead character of our show for 13 years. His accolades speak for themselves and it is this complete repertoire of the man that fully justifies the term "legend".

We are all the poorer without such characters in the game and all the richer for seeing this man make the impossible, possible.

Jamie Vardy has left the building.

Leicester City Football Club... completed it, mate.

Find more from Kate Blakemore at Leicester Till I Die, external

Leicester City are poised to sack manager Ruud van Nistelrooy and are in advanced talks to appoint former Southampton boss Russell Martin. (Football Insider), external

Want more news? Read Wednesday's full gossip column

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Image source, Getty Images

On Leicester City's referral to an independent commission after being charged with an alleged breach of the EFL's financial rules, football finance expert Kieran Maguire said: "It does look as if the Premier League will now pursue a commission for an alleged PSR breach for the three years ended 30 June 2024.

"The EFL could, separately, pursue a similar case against Leicester for the three years ended 30 June 2025 should Leicester's financial results end up exceeding the EFL PSR limit, which will be £83m over that period.

"Leicester and Bournemouth have previously been found guilty of breaches of EFL PSR rules after they were promoted to the Premier League, and in both cases were given fines.

"Had Leicester accepted a points deduction at the start of the season in relation to historic breaches it would not have made much difference to their relegation battle, although they would have potentially finished 19th instead of 18th and received £3m less prize money from the Premier League.

"While the Premier League and EFL are in dispute over financial distribution, their willingness to co-operate more in terms of the rules and regulations relating to promoted and relegated clubs will make it more difficult for Leicester to avoid charges by either organisation."

Nick Mashiter
BBC Sport football news reporter

Image source, Getty Images

There are various reasons why Leicester have lost so much money in previous years, which still leaves them vulnerable now given the three-year assessment period.

They lost nearly £90m in 2022-23 as the club fell from eighth to 18th, resulting in relegation, but it was also a reduction of about £30-35m in prize money given finishing positions in the Premier League table are worth about £3m.

They budgeted for a higher finish, budgets which chief executive Susan Whelan said were "entirely reasonable" given previous top-five finishes.

A lack of European football was another factor, with the club qualifying for the Europa League and going on to reach the Europa Conference League semi-final in 2022.

Significant changes in the management have also been costly with the departure of Brendan Rodgers, along with his backroom staff, in 2023 expensive.

Leicester have handed out big contracts to players and have therefore been unable to move some on and, despite managing to make a £74.8m profit in player sales in 2022-23, they still lost a huge amount.

The knock-on effect is still restricting them, with current manager Ruud van Nistelrooy only able to spend around £3m on defender Woyo Coulibaly in January, leaving the Foxes short on the quality needed for a relegation fight.