In a move that caught many by surprise, Leicester City have given former Chelsea boss Claudio Ranieri a path back to the Premier League after naming him as Nigel Pearson’s successor at the King Power Stadium.
The Thai-owned Foxes have been searching for a high-profile replacement with Martin O’Neill and Guus Hiddink considered. But Hiddink snubbed them and a move for Republic of Ireland boss O’Neill was thwarted.
The 63-year-old Ranieri has a great CV with stints at Juventus, Inter Milan, Roma and Monaco. But despite that impressive CV, Ranieri has only won two trophies in the last 15 years – the UEFA Super Cup with Valencia in 2004 and Ligue 2 with Monaco in 2012–13. A proven winner he isn’t.
One former Leicester legend not impressed with the hire was Gary Lineker who had this to say on Twitter:
Former Spurs boss Harry Redknapp also announced his surprise at the appointment tweeting:
Tony Cottee, who played for the Foxes between 1997-2000, said he is ‘astonished’ by the appointment.
Martin O’Neill and Neil Lennon seemed to have been the front-runners for the job, but the East Midlands club have opted for the boss affectionately known as ‘tinker man’ during his time in the dugout at Stamford Bridge.
Upon being appointed, Ranieri said it was a ‘dream’ to work in the Premier League again.
He said: “Since I left Chelsea I have dreamt of another chance to work in the best league in the world again.
“Now I’ve only one way for returning their trust: squeeze all my energies to getting the best results for the team.”
What do you think of Leicester’s decision to hire Ranieri?
