Leicester City's Managerial Mess: The Van Nistelrooy Saga and Potential Replacements

Leicester City have announced that they have parted ways with Ruud van Nistelrooy following the Foxes' relegation back to the EFL Championship.

The Dutch manager took over at the King Power Stadium last November following an interim spell at former club Manchester United that saw him go unbeaten in his four matches there.

After a positive start that saw him take four points from the first two matches, his side dramatically collapsed as they then won just once in 17 matches - setting an English football record of the most home games in a row without scoring (8) in the process.

Leicester are the first club in English HISTORY to lose 8 league games in a row at home without scoring a single goal. 🤯

❌ 3-0 vs Wolves
❌ 2-0 vs Man City
❌ 2-0 vs Crystal Palace
❌ 2-0 vs Fulham
❌ 2-0 vs Arsenal
❌ 4-0 vs Brentford
❌ 3-0 vs Man Utd
❌ 3-0 vs Newcastle pic.twitter.com/wpZmy0y7u9

— Football Tweet ⚽ (@Football__Tweet) April 7, 2025

Eventually finishing in 18th with just 25 points - the lowest tally of any 18th placed side in Premier League history - the removal of van Nistelrooy from his position has been inevitable for some weeks, with the only question being why did it take so long?

Why Did a Decision Take so Long?

Leicester have more than just relegation to the second tier to worry about, as their majority owner King Power face bankruptcy, with losses of up to £450m expected for the Thai company.

Khun Top’s replacement at King Power, Nitinai Sirismatthakarn, revealed: “It's like a patient surviving on oxygen.

King Power is on the BRINK of bankruptcy 📉 pic.twitter.com/EoZTcNDcWm

— Leicester Xtra (@XtraLeicester) June 23, 2025

Furthermore, the Foxes are facing fresh allegations of breaking Profit and Sustainability (PSR) rules relating back to the 2023/24 season when they won the EFL Championship.

An independent hearing is due to take place and if found guilty, the club faces a points deduction from either the upcoming season or the season after and/or a fine.

These financial complications are likely to be the reason as to why the decision to part ways with van Nistelrooy took so long, as the owners have been in disarray plus the costs of replacing the Dutchman with a new manager on a big contract could also have had a bearing on the length of the outcome.

Former Foxes striker Matty Fryatt told BBC East Midlands Today earlier this month: "Everyone needs some clarity, the supporters and football club as a whole, because time is ticking.

"My only assumption would be that it's because of the financial implications that Ruud is still in charge.

"Because if he was going to be the manager for next season, you would have thought you would have heard from the club, but there has been nothing, absolutely zero communication, which is baffling to me."

Who are the Bookies Tipping to Replace Him?

Former Burnley boss Sean Dyche is the front runner for the vacancy, with TalksportBet's 4/7 odds, having been fired from the Everton job in January with the Toffees edging perilously close to the drop.

Leicester City have parted ways with Ruud van Nistelrooy 😮

But may already have their new manager lined up for next season 👀 pic.twitter.com/a8n8DbwT5K

— Transfermarkt.co.uk (@TMuk_news) June 27, 2025

Elsewhere, Danny Rohl is at 7/4 as he looks set to leave Sheffield Wednesday and Michael Carrick is at 4/1 having recently left Middlesbrough.

Who Should Leicester Hire?

Despite Dyche finally being relieved of his duties two years after taking the Everton job, he managed to keep them afloat in the league for the two seasons prior amidst ownership chaos and a points deduction for breaking PSR.

That situation closely resembles the current Leicester struggles and so this experience with managing a team with an ongoing financial crisis should set him above the rest of the candidates.

He also has Championship experience, having taken Burnley from odds-on favourites for relegation having lost their top striker in Charlie Austen to finish second and promotion to the Premier League, all with a small budget that he then worked wonders with for many years after that in the top flight.

Rohl has completely transformed Wednesday into an established Championship side since they were promoted from League One two years ago, finishing 20th and now 12th - just 10 points off of the playoffs.

Whilst he knows how to bring stability to a football club that otherwise looks destined to go down, managing a side expected to push to win the league is out of his experience range and a possible promotion back to the Premier League could see Rohl out of his depth in the Foxes hotseat.

Carrick could also be a credible option - having taken over from Boro with them one place above the relegation zone and ending up in fourth place at the end of the season, he then guided them to the semi-finals of the EFL Cup and even won the first-leg 1-0 against Chelsea, before he was sacked this season in rather harsh circumstances for finishing 10th.

Also, the former England international was a caretaker boss at Manchester United - like van Nistelrooy - where he gained both Champions League and Premier League experience, winning two and drawing one of his three games.

Still, I think Dyche is the best appointment for Leicester, as the other two favourites are still at the beginning of their careers whilst his track record at clubs with limited spending power has been exceptional for more than a decade.

Who else would have dragged Burnley into the Europa League qualifiers?