Leicester City

Owynn Palmer-Atkin
BBC Radio Leicester's Foxes commentator

Image source, Getty Images

As Leicester City "consider their options" following their six-point deduction, many will be wondering what that means - and what comes next for their football club.

The deduction has now thrown the club into a true relegation scrap at the bottom of the second tier.

Leicester City, the EFL and the Premier League can all appeal the verdict from the independent comission should they wish to - with the Premier League initally wanting a 20-point deduction for the Foxes' breach of PSR/P&S Rules.

There are questions, once again, about the wording of the law in question of which the Foxes have been punished, which states it isn't intended for retrospective punishment.

So, is it better for Leicester City to accept the six-point deduction and accept their fate as a side battling for survival in the Championship, while knowing exactly where they stand? Or, do they appeal with the hope of having the deduction at least reduced, but potentially increased, while continuing to put uncertainty on their true position in the Championship?

It's a delicate situation, and one where they must proceed with caution.

Jack Rafferty
BBC Radio Leicester reporter

Image source, Shutterstock

After years of speculation and legal battles, Leicester City have finally been given the points deduction that had been looming for so long.

Given there were rumours suggesting the punishment could hit double figures, six points does not seem too bad in the end.

For a club that has insisted it is fighting for promotion back to the Premier League, a deduction of that size should be an inconvenience, a minor disruption in terms of their goals in the Championship.

And yet the Foxes now find themselves out of the relegation zone on goal difference alone.

Recent performances and results, including home defeats to Oxford and Charlton in the past two weeks, have been those of a team in freefall anyway, even without a six-point deduction.

The fans have been saying for weeks that the club is at risk of relegation to League One, something that is now reflected by the Championship table.

The silver lining is that the uncertainty is over. The team, the board, the incoming manager (whoever that might end up being) know exactly what they need to do to stay in the second tier.

Fans have been saying for months that they want this saga to be over, no matter the consequences.

And in the end, if the rumours of a potential deduction of 20 points were true, then you could argue that the six docked is a small win for the football club. But lessons need to be learned, fast.

The aim for this season is now clear - survival. Let's hope they're up for the fight.

Image source, Shutterstock

After Leicester City's six-point deduction for breaching profit and sustainability rules was confirmed by the EFL on Thursday, we asked for your thoughts on the outcome.

Here are a selection of your responses:

Rishul: With talks of a 10-point-plus deduction, this is a far better outcome for us than expected. The club have done reasonably well to argue for a decreased punishment (as we all know the PSR rules, whether you agree with them or not, were broken). We can now move on and continue the season with the aim of staying up and starting fresh in August (!)

Sian: In a sense the rules and consequences of breaking them are clear, so the punishment is, on the surface, fair. However, given that the punishment for failing to be financially sustainable will likely reduce their income further, by potentially relegating them, it seems rather nonsensical... how does the punishment actually enable a club struggling financially to stay viable? Surely there is a difference between a disproportionately wealthy club paying obscene wages and a club like Leicester trying to keep their best players and buy better players to improve their results which in turn would earn them more money?

Stephen H: It's simple! Stick to the rules or suffer the consequences. Leicester fan for over sixty years.

Andy D: We deserve it. Top and John Rudkin have slowly destroyed the club over recent seasons. Winning the FA Cup papered over the massive cracks that were already there and the fans know it.

Paul W: It feels wrong given Manchester City still have 115 charges pending. But at least now we know where we are points-wise and know what we need to do to try to avoid another relegation to League One.

Jeff B: Think back to the relatively recent days before winning the Premier League where times were tougher than they are now. The rallying cries from the likes of Rob Kelly, Iain Hume and Patrick Kisnorbo when things looked bleak. We bounced back. The Foxes family came together then, as we will now. Believe you me, our team will always be the greatest in the land!

Punckaj: What a sorry state of affairs for our beloved club 10 years on from our glory, Vichai's grand vision achieved against massive odds. Financial mismanagement primarily during the Rodgers era has led us to the brink of the third tier. Top has been so badly let down by Rudkin and Whelan!

Tom G: Whilst It does feel like we have got away with one here and could have been handed much worse, this deduction has come far too late and should have been applied last season, now we risk relegation to League One. The elephant in the room is that Manchester City's alleged breaches have still not been heard. When will that happen, if ever?

Phil C: We overspent trying to chase the dream but bad decisions were made on players, contracts and wages and that ripple effect has lasted for years - obviously with relegation number one compounding the issue. I still applaud my club for trying to compete with the richest clubs but they got a lot badly wrong. The punishment isn't as bad as most Leicester fans thought it would be, so I think we should now put it behind us. The immediate focus should be staying in the Championship and then begin to rebuild. The fanbase is horribly split but I'd like to see everyone unite behind Khun Top who has hopefully learned some very harsh lessons.

John F: This seems like a lucky escape for Leicester when the penalty looked like being much worse. Now we need to pull together as a team, put some points on the board and get out of the mess the club have got themselves in!

Glenn L: To be honest the points deduction has put us back down to where we theoretically should actually be given our performances so far this season. Six points is a lot better than many of us Leicester fans were expecting so overall I am relatively pleased with the outcome. Now will be the acid test whether the players are really up for the fight or (like a lot of fans really feel) they will go down with a whimper and just continue taking the money.

Image source, Shutterstock

Leicester City have been deducted six points by the EFL following an independent disciplinary commission's investigation into the Foxes breaching profit & sustainability rules.

The decision drops Leicester down to 20th place in the Championship and outside the relegation zone only on goal difference.

Is this the right outcome or should the club have been dealt with differently?

Leicester fans can leave their views here and check back later for some of the responses.

Birmingham City take a five-match unbeaten run into Saturday's Championship meeting with managerless Leicester City.

Blues have taken 27 points from their 14 home games so far this season while the Foxes have failed to win any of their past five away trips in the league.

• Birmingham have won just one of their past 11 home league games against Leicester (D4 L6), beating them 2-0 in October 2011.

• Leicester have won each of their past five league games against Birmingham, their joint longest winning run against the Blues (also five between 1988 and 1993).

• Birmingham have lost just one of their past 39 home league games (W28 D10), going down 3-2 against Hull City in October.

• Leicester have conceded at least once in each of their past 24 Championship games, their longest run without a clean sheet outside of the top-flight since a 27-game run in the 1948-49 campaign.

• Marvin Ducksch has scored four goals in his past five league games for Birmingham, more than he had in his first 16 appearances for the club (3).

Image source, Shutterstock

Marti Cifuentes says he "gave everything" during his time at Leicester City and hopes blooding young talent is seen as part of his legacy.

The 43-year-old Spaniard left the King Power last month after six months in charge, with the Foxes sitting in the bottom half of the Championship, well adrift of the play-off places, following their relegation from the Premier League last season.

In a social media post on Thursday morning, external, the former QPR head coach said: "This was obviously not the way we wished for our time at Leicester City to conclude.

"From the moment me and my staff arrived we gave everything to try to help the club in building a fresh culture and set new standards during a challenging period."

Cifuentes thanked chairman Khun Top and the board for the opportunity to work at the club and added: "I value the relationships we developed with players and staff during our time together and the work we did, including collaborating to progress the development of some of the club's talented youngsters from the academy."

He also had a message for Foxes fans, saying: "I always personally felt the passion that you expressed towards your club. I was grateful for the devotion so many of you showed in following us throughout the season around the country, no matter the conditions.

"I wish everyone nothing but the best for what lies ahead in the future for your club."

Image source, Getty Images

Leicester City midfielder Hamza Choudhury will be out for at least a month after picking up a knee injury in their 2-0 home defeat by Charlton Athletic in the Championship last Saturday.

The 28-year-old Bangladesh international was forced off after half-an-hour of the loss and Foxes interim head coach Andy King has said he will join their list of absentees along with defender Caleb Okoli who was sent-off against the Addicks.

"Hamza won't be available which is a big blow for us as we said after the game we are low on numbers so to lose Hamza and Caleb in the first half probably compounded what was a difficult day," King told BBC Radio Leicester.

"He's going to be out for a while and has gone down to London to see a specialist. We're not sure on the time frame but it certainly won't be this month.

"Knees can obviously be really bad. I don't think it's that far down the line but he's certainly not going to be available for this month."

Leicester defender Jannik Vestergaard missed the Charlton defeat through injury and King is unsure if he will return for Saturday's league game at Birmingham (15:01 GMT).

"He's trying to manage it. He knows the situation - we're really short in that defensive area especially with Caleb now suspended for the weekend so he's trying everything he can," added the caretaker boss.

"But we're not going to put people out there who aren't going to be able to function properly so we'll have to see how he goes."

Midfielder Oliver Skipp will return for the trip to St Andrew's after missing the past two games through injury while new signings Jamaal Lascelles, Joe Aribo, Divine Mukasa and Dujuan Richards are also in contention.

Jack Rafferty
BBC Radio Leicester

Image source, Shutterstock

It's been clear for a while that Leicester City needed reinforcements in January after a number of disappointing results and performances have left them in the bottom half of the Championship.

Gaps in the squad were made worse by injuries (including the one to star man Jordan James) and departures earlier in the month. Fans will probably agree that the time was right for players like Wout Faes and Bouba Soumare to leave King Power Stadium, but it has left interim boss Andy King with limited options.

As has been the way for the past two winter transfer windows, the concern amongst fans was always whether the club would be able to conduct any business, with the threat of a points deduction still looming from the outcome of an outstanding PSR hearing.

In the end, just like in the summer, City were able to take advantage of the loan market, bringing in four new faces on deadline day. The question now is whether they can have the immediate impact required to turn around this disappointment of a season.

Joe Aribo, brought in on loan from Southampton, offers a lot of the attributes Leicester are looking for in midfield. It's also an area that is looking increasingly light for the Foxes following injuries to James, Oliver Skipp and now Hamza Choudhury - even with the re-emergence of Harry Winks last weekend.

But Aribo has only played seven times for the Saints this campaign, having been cast out by Will Still during pre-season. While we're told there is still plenty of talent there, is he up to speed and ready to go?

That's also a question that can be asked of Jamaal Lascelles, brought in from Newcastle on a short-term deal until the end of the season. While the centre-half has all of the leadership qualities that this squad desperately craves, he's also had limited game time in the past couple of years due to injury, with Eddie Howe raising questions over his fitness.

Again, he could be exactly what City are looking for, if he's able to hit the ground running.

The third addition, Divine Mukasa, looks like a brilliant young prospect, brought in on loan from Manchester City and will hopefully add some much needed attacking flair.

But the one thing the Foxes needed most desperately was a striker, with Jordan Ayew and Patson Daka managing just six goals in 53 appearances between them.

The fans' prayers were seemingly answered in the final moments of the transfer window, with Jamaican Dujuan Richards joining from Chelsea, also on loan.

The 20-year-old is already a full international, but is yet to play a single senior game for Chelsea.

Reports say he's virtually unplayable at academy level, with pace to burn that might even rival that of Leicester legend Jamie Vardy. But is he the finished product, ready to step up and get the goals City have lacked from their forwards this year?

On paper, it could be viewed as a brilliant deadline day for the Foxes - but only time will tell whether it is enough to turn their season around.

Image source, Getty Images

Today is the final chance of the season for your Championship team to do transfer business.

The window closes at 19:00 GMT, meaning teams - and fans - can avoid the usual late-night transfer scramble.

It has already been a busy window - for some teams anyway - but whether it turns out to be a day of transfer action or a pretty quiet one for your club, you will be able to keep across it all on BBC Sport.

Follow our live text coverage throughout the day here

Shamoon Hafez
Manchester City reporter

Image source, Getty Images

Championship strugglers Leicester City are in talks to sign Divine Mukasa from Manchester City on loan for the remainder of the season.

Midfielder Mukasa has broken into the City first team this season, making six appearances.

The 18-year-old may also sign a new contract at Etihad Stadium before a possible move into the second tier.

Leicester interim boss Andy King confirmed interest in the player on Saturday after the 2-0 loss to Charlton: "He [Mukasa] is a very promising young player.

"It's something the club have been trying to pursue. If we can get him, that's great news.

"We've seen a lot of him and we rate him very highly."

Nick Mashiter
Football reporter

Image source, Getty Images

Leicester City are working on a deal to sign Newcastle United captain Jamaal Lascelles.

Caretaker Foxes manager Andy King is looking for reinforcements to help fix their ailing Championship season.

Lascelles is out of contract at the end of the season and had been expected to leave St James' Park.

The 32-year-old has made 253 appearances for Newcastle since joining from Nottingham Forest in 2014.

Image source, Shutterstock

Andy King felt Caleb Okoli's 15th-minute red card decided his first game as Leicester interim boss as the Foxes lost 2-0 to Charlton at the King Power Stadium.

Charlton took full advantage to lead 2-0 at the interval before Jordan Ayew missed a second-half penalty for Leicester.

King told BBC Radio Leicester: "It's always hard when you get a red card after 15 minutes. A lot of our prep work has gone out of the window then and it's a long time to be defending with 10 men against a big, physical side.

"Then a senior midfielder gets injured, and we don't know how long that will be. So it was a real disruptive first half and we went in 2-0 down, which was massively disappointing. You feel all the hard work you've done throughout the week has gone out the window.

"I said to them at half-time, 'you've got two ways of playing this. We can either go under and show what we've been labelled as, and be soft and it can go to three, four or five. Or you can come out and show a bit of fight, try and galvanise our season a little bit'.

"We didn't get back in the game, but I thought the response in the second half was good. With the penalty, if that had gone in, we'd really have had the momentum to go on and get back into the game."

Image source, Opta

Leicester City will look to keep their lingering play-off hopes alive in their first game since Marti Cifuentes was sacked when they welcome relegation-battling Charlton Athletic on Saturday (kick-off 12:30 GMT).

The Foxes, who will have Andy King in temporary charge, are 14th and six points adrift of the top-six after just two wins in their past eight games (D1 L5).

The 19th-placed Addicks are only three points clear of the drop zone and have won just twice in 14 games (D3 L9).

• Leicester will be looking to achieve a league double over Charlton for the first time since 1981-82 (also in the second division), having won 1-0 at The Valley earlier this season.

• Charlton have only won one of their past 10 away league matches against Leicester (D5 L4), with that lone victory coming in February 2013 under Chris Powell (a 2-1 win in the Championship).

• Leicester haven't kept a clean sheet in the Championship since a 0-0 draw with league leaders Coventry in September 2025, going 23 matches without one. Since the start of last season, they have the lowest clean sheet percentage (9%) of any team in England's top four tiers (6/67).

• Since the start of November, only West Brom have fewer points (1) in Championship away games than Charlton (2). The Addicks are one of only three sides without an away win in this period (D2 L6), along with West Brom and Sheffield Wednesday.

• Abdul Fatawu has the most goal involvements and assists for Leicester in the Championship this season (13 - 6 goals, 7 assists), while his 74 completed dribbles are at least 22 more than any other player in the division (Mikey Johnston, 52).

Image source, Getty Images

Leicester City supporters were asked for who they would want as the next Foxes boss, and the wishlist is long.

The responses range from former bosses Enzo Maresca and Nigel Pearson to current Manchester United interim head coach Michael Carrick and England Under-21 boss Lee Carsley.

Ash: I think most Leicester fans would take Maresca back in a heartbeat, realistically we will end up with Russell Martin and another six months time he will be getting the sack.

Nick: Go for experience, ideally someone previously connected with the club, for this season at least. Characters like Nigel Pearson or Neil Lennon would reconnect the fans and push the players.

William: I would have Andy King or Nigel Pearson until the end of the season then bring in Carsley or Carrick in the summer and they have fresh season and a summer to have time to implement there tactics and get the signings they want.

John: Someone like Gary Rowett. We need to stop conceding goals. Clean sheets and build from there. Every point we can get is vital. Please not Russell Martin!

Mark: I think Leicester are well and truly cemented into the Championship dog fight this season. I think the manager appointment needs to reflect this and the profile needs to be someone who can get players working hard on the pitch.

Forget developing or maintaining a footballing philosophy, this boat is in danger of sinking to League One and it's SOS time.

Sam: Use the small bit of money we do have and go and get Mark Robins. Experienced, respected and will steady the ship.

Scott: Depending on the financial situation of the club, if we can afford some compensation then maybe best to look at the likes of Dave Challinor, Andy Woodman, Michael Skubala, or push the boat out and get Carlos Corberan.

Basil: If Russell Martin gets the job I fully expect there will be riots/protests/boycotts. City fans have had enough of the tippy-tappy - we want to see a team with fight, organisation, and front-footed football.

The problem is - which managers actually play like that any more? I'd love to see Nigel Pearson back to sort this sorry lot out, but longer-term, we need a forward-thinking manager, and honestly, no one stands out. I'm worried.

Chris: We need someone who can steady the ship, someone who will get the respect from the players. Many people won't like it, but I think Steven Gerrard would be a good option. Like Frank Lampard has done at Coventry, he believe he can build a team capable of going up next season.

Becky: I just want to watch a team that wants to play, and wants to win. There are a great deal of issues going on at the club at the moment and I'm not convinced that another new manager will fix things, but it can't get much worse… (can it?! Will it?!)

'Repairs urgently required' - fans react to Khun Top interview

We also asked for Leicester fans to comment on what owner Khun Aiyawatt 'Top' Srivaddhanaprabh had to say in his interview with BBC Radio Leicester.

These are just a few of the thoughts shared with us...

Neil: Unfortunately the interview only highlighted how disconnected from the fanbase and reality the hierarchy at the club is. Until reality hits nothing will change and we will continue in a downward spiral.

The greatest of sporting miracles will be consigned to the history books and the opportunity of a true lasting legacy squandered.

Gareth: The chairman is well-intentioned, his family have put so much into the club. Thank you. However, the ongoing situation is entirely the responsibility of the current board and officers.

The lack of skill ,and until recently the unwillingness to communicate with the fanbase will not be rectified by the appointment of yet another (failed) manager. The team vehicle is broken, changing the driver again and again will not fix it. Repairs are urgently required!

Alan: Top's words were just that: words. Unless or until they are backed by action then relegation looks the most likely outcome. I gave up my season ticket after 25 years this year in dismay at the running of the club and just how miserable the matchday experience has become.