Former England coach Roy Hodgson appears to be a leading contender to succeed the sacked Claudio Ranieri as manager of Premier League champions Leicester City.
Ranieri was sacked by the Foxes last week just nine months after leading them to the title, in what is widely considered as one of the great – if not the great – achievements in the history of English football. But the champagne has turned flat at the King Power Stadium in recent times, as they battle to retain their place in the top-flight during what has been a disastrous campaign.
Craig Shakespeare has been placed in temporary charge and got an immediate reaction from his players on Monday night, when a 3-1 win against Liverpool ensured they climbed out of the relegation zone. The 53-year-old has made it clear he would like the job on a permanent basis, but it would seem as though he has competition for the post from the highly experienced Hodgson.
It has been widely reported on Tuesday that the 69-year-old is interested in succeeding Ranieri, and the BBC even claim he has held talks with the club. If the Foxes decide on employing the former England boss, he would likely take charge in time for the UEFA Champions League second round second leg clash with Sevilla, a tie the La Liga side currently lead 2-1 after the first leg in Spain.
In the meantime, Shakespeare will continue to coach the first team ahead of their home clash with fellow strugglers Hull City, when a win for the champions would see them climb six points ahead of their opponents. A win against the Tigers would be the first time Leicester have recorded successive wins in the league this season, and first since they were on the way to the title last April.
Hodgson has been out of work since England’s humiliating Euro 2016 exit at the hands of Iceland last summer, but he has had more successful times in recent years with both West Bromwich Albion and Fulham. Sandwiched in between these two stints was a disappointing spell at Liverpool, and he led Blackburn Rovers to a sixth place finish in 1997-98 before being sacked the following term.
