Leicester City confirm sacking of manager Craig Shakespeare

Leicester confirm Shakespeare sacking
© Offside
Leicester City confirm that they have parted company with manager Craig Shakespeare, four months after appointing him on a permanent basis.

Leicester City have parted company with manager Craig Shakespeare following the club's slow start to the Premier League campaign.

The 53-year-old was only appointed on a permanent basis four months ago after steering the Foxes away from relegation trouble in his role as caretaker boss last term.

Shakespeare won eight of his 16 games in charge between replacing Claudio Ranieri in February and the end of the campaign, but the 2015-16 champions have failed to get going in the opening two months of this season.

Leicester battled back to earn a 1-1 draw against West Bromwich Albion on Monday night, leaving them inside the relegation zone on six points from their first eight games.

After a run of three wins, three draws and four defeats in all competitions - the high point arguably being the EFL Cup victory against Liverpool on September 19 - Leicester's Far East owners have taken the decision to sack Shakespeare.

A statement from vice-chairman Aiyawatt Srivaddhanaprabha read: "Craig has been a great servant to Leicester City - during his spells as an assistant manager and since taking over as manager in challenging circumstances in February. His dedication to the club and to his work has been absolute and the contribution he made to the most successful period in Leicester City history is considerable.

"However, our early promise under Craig's management has not been consistently evident in the months since and the Board feels that, regrettably, a change is necessary to keep the club moving forward – consistent with the long-term expectations of our supporters, board and owners.

"Craig is and will remain a very popular, respected figure at Leicester City and will be welcome back at King Power Stadium in future, both professionally and as a friend of the club."

Wales boss Chris Coleman is the bookmakers' early favourite to take over at Leicester, who have already suffered defeats to Arsenal, Manchester United, Chelsea and Liverpool in the league this season.

Craig Shakespeare watches on during the Premier League game between Manchester United and Leicester City on August 26, 2017
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