Leicester City

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As Chelsea and Leicester City supporters wait for Enzo Maresca to be unveiled as the Blues' new manager, former Foxes academy graduate Ian Baraclough has been discussing the reasons why the Italian manager has been poached so quickly.

"It didn't surprise me that he was going to get linked to roles," Baraclough told the When You're Smiling podcast.

"When you have done very well, even at Championship level, you are going to get put into certain positions where you have the chance of taking X, Y and Z job. I think working under Pep Guardiola seems to be a bit of a magical ingredient as well.

"So it didn't surprise me that he was being linked, but I was a bit surprised that it has happened so quickly.

"Chelsea have sifted through the names that they wanted to replace Mauricio Pochettino. It surprised in the first place that they let him go - I'm sure I'm not the only one there!

"I suppose when someone like Chelsea come calling for Enzo Maresca, he then has a big decision to make.

"Does he take Leicester back into the Premier League, which he has earned the right to do? Or does he jump ship? It certainly looks like he is going to do the latter.

"Enzo has shown time and time again that he isn't for changing [his style of play]. I know plenty of Leicester supporters around the city and I think it is definitely split, maybe even 70:30, in terms of them not being that fussed that he is going."

Listen to the full podcast on BBC Sounds

As Leicester City and Chelsea supporters wait for Enzo Maresca to be unveiled as the Blues' new manager, Foxes fan Tom Foyster has been discussing the Italian manager's decision to leave the "long-term project" he came into management for.

"The apathy around the city and the fanbase speaks volumes," Foyster said. "I think it shows that if you are not committed to the long-term project - like you said you were and it seemed you were - or you don't want to be here, then off you go.

"There aren't many people that are actually gutted he is leaving. It is really interesting given what he achieved both on and off the pitch. I don't quite understand why we feel this way.

"I was gutted to hear it, but if you don't want to be here then crack on! That Chelsea job, if he makes Christmas I think he will have done well.

"The flavour currently is the Pep Guardiola disciples and that is who is popular, but that isn't always going to be the way. So I think that as a football fan, you know that no one loves your club like you do.

"The thing that annoys me really is that Enzo spoke a lot about how he wanted to settle somewhere with his family and be involved in a 'long-term project'.

"It almost seems like the first club that has come along, that maybe matches his ambition, he has just gone with.

"If it was a well-run club, and he was leaving us with our financial problems, I would more understand it. But he is going to Chelsea who have spent £1bn and are selling hotels so they aren't getting into trouble with Financial Fair Play.

"He is just swapping one financial nightmare for another - that is the bit that I don't understand. It has annoyed me a bit."

Former Foxes academy graduate Ian Baraclough added: "Do you think Enzo is looking at the financial side of Leicester City? Maybe the implications of what is going to happen this summer? Or how they are going to start next season? Whether they are going to have a points deduction and how many it is going to be?

"Maybe he has thought that he doesn't want to be part of that. I'm not saying that is right, but you have got to start thinking about whether that comes into his thought pattern to leave the club."

Listen to the full podcast on BBC Sounds

Chelsea will appoint Leicester City manager Enzo Maresca on a five-year contract, plus the option of a further year. He will become the club's fifth manager of the post-Roman Abramovich era. (Telegraph - subscription required), external

Want more news? Read Friday's full gossip column

In the latest Football Daily 72+, Aaron Paul and Jobi McAnuff are joined by the new Barnsley boss Darrell Clarke as they try and agree on their EFL team of the season.

But, with plenty of choice, who will make the team's starting XI? And who will be managing them?

Listen to the full episode on BBC Sounds

Former Manchester United striker Ruud van Nistelrooy, 47, is a contender for the Leicester City manager job. (Mirror), external

Want more news? Read Thursday's full gossip column

Pat Nevin
Former Scotland and Chelsea winger

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It is time to welcome the new hopefuls into the Premier League now that Southampton have joined Ipswich Town and Leicester City in the promised land. It isn’t the friendliest of receptions I have ever seen.

‌Leicester may well be docked points on their arrival and their coach Enzo Maresca looks likely to be lured away within days.

Ipswich manager Kieran McKenna might also still be whisked away by one of the big boys before the Tractor Boys get to pre-season training.

I wonder what the Premier League has in store for Southampton to make their already tough survival job even harder.

‌Saints finished fourth so were not as good as the top two, but they have had the stress of the extra three games including that gruelling win over Leeds United at Wembley.

On top of that, only now can they start looking to make signings, long after everyone in their 'new' market has been on the case.

They have a tough enough job, so maybe just leave them alone and give them a chance.

Pat Nevin was writing for the BBC Football Extra newsletter

Shamoon Hafez
BBC Sport football news reporter

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Former Nottingham Forest manager Steve Cooper has declined the opportunity to pursue the Burnley job once it becomes available.

Welshman Cooper has been out of work since being sacked by Forest in December and is instead aiming for a return to the Premier League.

Newly promoted Leicester City is a possible destination for the 44-year-old, with current Foxes boss Enzo Maresca in talks to join Chelsea.

Burnley coach Vincent Kompany is closing in on a shock move to Bayern Munich after he agreed a deal in principle to join the Bundesliga giants.

BBC Sport understands former Chelsea and Everton coach Frank Lampard would be interested in taking over at Turf Moor should the opportunity arise.

It is believed Kompany has agreed a deal until 2027, with Bayern set to pay £10.2m in compensation.

On Tuesday, the Germany side’s director Karl-Heinz Rummenigge told Sky Germany that the “last details” needed to be sorted out for the Belgian’s arrival.

Rummenigge said: “Our sporting director [Max Eberl] has chosen Kompany, it is not yet official but there are only the last details to be sorted out. I am convinced that Kompany will arrive in the end.

“Pep Guardiola spoke to us in a very positive way about Vincent. He had him at [Manchester] City as captain and Pep also followed him when he was at Burnley, so he gave us a good hand."

BBC Sport's football news reporter Nizaar Kinsella has been discussing Chelsea's move for Leicester City boss Enzo Maresca on BBC Radio 5 Live's Monday Night Club:

"They quite like the fact that he has an identity and they see him as a good fit.

"If we look at how Mauricio Pochettino fell out with Chelsea, a huge part of it was personality driven, a huge part of it was control and him wanting to be a bit more of an old-school manager.

"Maresca is quite happy, it seems, to be a head coach fitting into their first-team structure.

"Chelsea feel like they have built a modern, elite environment - or are building that and it did need modernising after the Roman Abramovich era - and they feel like they are getting there now.

"They just a need someone to slot in and do the job of coaching, rather than getting involved in transfers."

Watch the full episode of Monday Night Club on BBC iPlayer or listen to the podcast on BBC Sounds

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On the latest episode of BBC Radio Leicester's When You're Smiling podcast, Owynn Palmer-Atkin is joined by former Foxes winger Matt Piper and host of the Big Strong Leicester Boys podcast Jake Watson to discuss the news that Chelsea are in talks with Enzo Maresca over the vacant manager role at Stamford Bridge.

Maresca, a former assistant to Pep Guardiola at Manchester City, guided Leicester to the Championship title in his first season at the club and BBC Sport understands the Foxes would be seeking between £8m and £10m in compensation if he is to depart this summer.

"Chelsea are a big club," said Piper. "You can go there and make a pretty immediate impact. They have a good squad and a big budget.

"It is an attractive job. However, a lot of managers have gone there and it hasn't happened. It seems like a bit of a toxic club and a very difficult club to manage.

"From a Foxes perspective, I'm a little bit gutted. I wanted to see how he got on in the Premier League with Leicester.

"He's had a fantastic season. I think his philosophies would have been tested going into next season. The exciting thing would have been to see how he negotiated that because it is difficult."

Despite storming to the title with 97 points, Piper believes issues off the pitch could be behind Maresca's openness to a move away.

"He wanted a little more support in the director of football role - that has been a big talking point since we won the Championship," he added.

"Maybe the club said that hierarchy, that structure, is not going to be changed or added to and that might have shifted him a little more to leaving."

Listen to the full episode on BBC Sounds

Leicester City may target West Bromwich Albion boss Carlos Corberan should Enzo Maresca join Chelsea. (Talksport, external)

Want more transfer stories? Read Tuesday's full gossip column

Leicester boss Maresca has rejected an approach from Sevilla as he wants to stay in the Premier League, and is waiting for a response from Chelsea after recent talks with the Stamford Bridge club. (Fabrizio Romano), external

Want more transfer stories? Read Monday's full gossip column

Former striker Matty Fryatt has been talking about his time at Leicester City and how he "always got great support from the fans".

Fryatt was at the Foxes between 2006 and 2011 and reminiscing about his career at the club on the When You're Smiling podcast he said: "I enjoyed it - I always got great support from the fans, the fantastic fans and what they were to me even when we were having difficult days.

"They always backed me in particular - there were some lows but there was also highs.

"Nigel [Pearson] went to Hull but then obviously returned six months later so I might have stayed - I don't know if that would've been a good thing.

"Nigel effectively went back and we all know what happened - but I think I played a small part in where it was to where it's gone on to.

"It's a fantastic football club, I felt a bit disappointed at the end of it but that was towards the manager and not the club, I can only look back with fond memories."

Listen to the whole episode here

Chelsea are set to ask Leicester City for permission to speak to Enzo Maresca about their managerial vacancy. (Talksport), external

Want more transfer stories? Read Friday's full gossip column

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Former Foxes winger Matt Piper does not believe Kelechi Iheanacho will be playing in a Leicester City shirt next season.

The Nigeria international joined the club from Manchester City back in August 2017, becoming former boss Craig Shakespeare's fourth signing of the transfer window.

Over his seven-year stay at the club, Iheanacho has made 232 appearances, scoring 61 goals and assisting a further 34. However, the forward only made 26 appearances in all competitions this season under new boss Enzo Maresca.

"I don't think he will be in a Leicester shirt next year," Piper said on BBC Radio Leicester's When You're Smiling podcast. "It's a shame, because I like Kelechi. He has created some iconic memories in a Leicester shirt.

"It's just that I don't see his attributes lending themselves well to being in an Enzo Maresca team.

"Enzo has tried to get [Jamie] Vardy and [Patson] Daka to come closer to the ball and get involved in the build-up play, but he does also like that speed of getting in behind if a team is pressuring us, and Kelechi hasn't really got that side to his game.

"This season, it looked to me like he had got the hump a little bit. So maybe it is time for him to move on.

"I think Maresca got to a point where he was thinking: 'He's just not got what I need in behind'.

"So you do need that speed - I think [Tom] Cannon has it, Vardy and Daka clearly do [but] Kelechi does struggle with that side of his game a little bit.

"It looked to me that his mindset, from midway through the season, was him thinking: 'I'm not going to be here next season'."

Listen to the full discussion on BBC Sounds

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When Ademola Lookman spurned the chance to equalise by spectacularly failing a panenka-style penalty with the last kick-off the game for Fulham against West Ham in November 2020 few would have predicted he would go on to become the first man to score a hat-trick in a Europa League or Uefa Cup final.

A product of the Charlton youth academy, Lookman was on loan from RB Leipzig at the time and had already had a spell at Everton. Another loan - this time to Leicester City - followed, showing the difficulty the London-born Nigeria international has endured trying to find a home at club level.

But find a home he now certainly has.

Before moving to Italy to sign for Atalanta in 2022, Lookman's best league goal scoring return was six at Leicester.

In his first season in Serie A, he scored 13 and registered eight assists. In his second he has scored nine and assisted six.

The third of his stunning hat-trick in the Europa League final win over previously unbeaten Bayer Leverkusen was his fifth European strike of the season.

Now 26 years old, Lookman has illustrated that struggling in the Premier League does not define a player's career and there are many routes to the top.

Now with an iconic performance in a European final to his name, in his words, it is "just the beginning".

Leicester City are braced for an approach from Chelsea for manager Enzo Maresca. (Sun, external)

Want more transfer stories? Read Thursday's full gossip column

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Dennis Praet confirmed his departure from Leicester City just two days after lifting the Championship trophy with the Foxes, following a five-year stint at the club.

The Belgium international faced an uphill battle to become a mainstay under bosses Brendan Rodgers, Dean Smith and Enzo Maresca, after picking up multiple injuries which kept him out at crucial times.

Former Leicester winger Matt Piper has been discussing the midfielder's "bad luck" on the When You're Smiling podcast: "At the start of this season, Enzo was really looking at him and thinking he was his best option for the 'high eight' [position], to play alongside Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall.

"But then he got injured and Enzo played [Wilfred] Ndidi there for a few games. Clearly Enzo and his staff had worked with Ndidi in those kind of 'high eight' positions and they got what they wanted from him.

"The rest is history really - because Ndidi took to that role, especially in the first part of the season, like a duck to water.

"Dennis Praet must have been sitting on the bench thinking: 'What the heck is going on?' He must have been, because we all were. We didn't know what Ndidi had in his locker.

"So it is about whatever Maresca worked on with Ndidi and Praet getting that injury at that time - but that's what football is like.

"These are the times when people talk about needing an element of luck. I don't think Praet got lucky with any of the times he got injured or anything like that - it always went against him."

Listen to the full discussion on BBC Sounds

Leicester City boss Enzo Maresca is likely to be among the names under consideration by Chelsea after Mauricio Pochettino left the club by mutual consent. (Telegraph - subscription required), external

Want more news? Read Wednesday's full gossip column

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Marc Albrighton admitted he was "99.9% sure" his 10-year stay at Leicester City was over after lifting the Championship trophy on the final day of the season.

After being released by his boyhood club Aston Villa in 2014, the midfielder joined the Foxes and went on to win the Premier League, FA Cup, Community Shield and Championship with the club.

Former Leicester winger Matt Piper has been looking back on the 34-year-old's time at the club on the When You're Smiling podcast: "When it comes to the end [of a player's stay], you start thinking all the way back through it. He has been part of everything great for the past 10 years.

"He was a massive part of the Premier League title. He was a massive part of the FA Cup win. He scored the first Champions League goal.

"Generally, I'm more of a James Maddison and Riyad Mahrez person - they are the players I love to go and watch. He isn't in that category of player with his skillset, but I have appreciated his determination, fight, 'never give up' attitude and crossing ability over the years."

On the legacy Albrighton will leave at Leicester City, Piper added: "If you put the Jamie Vardy statue up, it would be nice to have an Albrighton one. Maybe it could be him crossing Vardy the ball or something like that. I think he deserves that recognition.

"He has been brilliant. He has been a fan favourite since being here. Nearly every manager who has come in hasn't really fancied him at the start, but he has always been able to change their mind and contribute massively.

"Now is probably the right time [for him to leave], especially in Enzo's system, because he isn't going to use him that much.

"He is clearly a loved member of the group, so that would have been powerful for this season, but I don't know how long you should continue that.

"He still has a lot to give the game - maybe at a different level, maybe in a different country - but I think we should thank him for everything he has done for us and let him move on."

Listen to the full conversation on BBC Sounds

Chris Forryan
Fan writer

Season rating: 10/10. -what else? I considered a nine as we did have a rather big blip, but we responded well to that and it was that response that makes it a 10.

Happy with your manager? A risky appointment, but boy has it paid off. When he arrived, I was excited at where he had come from and what he had achieved but I was worried about his lack of experience as a number one. However, sometimes gambles pay off, and with Enzo’s style more suited to the Premier League, I'm excited for next season, even with profit and sustainability rules hanging over our heads.

Unsung hero: So many heroes this season, but one I feel deserves more credit overall is Hamza Choudhury. Lauded by Rodgers, dropped by Rodgers, loaned out by Rodgers, contract extended by Enzo, stand-in captain for Enzo. You know what you get with Hamza - our midfield enforcer that sometimes is just needed.

Player you'd most like to sign: Jamie Vardy? Maybe not for 10 more years, but then who knows with this guy? Write him off at your peril. However, I would love to see Sammie Szmodics from Blackburn in a Leicester shirt - he’s wearing half blue as it is. I was hoping Blackburn would leave him behind at King Power Stadium ‘Home Alone’-style after our final game.

Best away fans: Coventry City but as the away fans four our nearest derby, I would have been disappointed if they hadn’t been. Ipswich Town were good too, revelling in their team's success and just having a good time. I'm looking forward to seeing them again next season.