Leicester City could be staring at a points deduction in the near future, and having not exactly begun the season in blistering form, a promotion charge this campaign becomes increasingly challenging for the Foxes.
Last season, Leicester endured relegation from the Premier League, dropping back to the Championship for the second time in three years.
Neither Steve Cooper nor Ruud van Nistelrooy could keep the Foxes afloat, even after winning an appeal to avoid a points deduction last season.
Although they succeeded in that appeal to sidestep a points penalty, Leicester are still not in the clear, having breached profit and sustainability regulations during the 2023/24 season. Reports suggest they could be “facing nine points or more being wiped from their total in the coming weeks.”
Indeed, Leicester conducted something of a fire sale this summer, parting ways with Wilfried Ndidi, Mads Hermansen, Kasey McAteer, James Justin, Conor Coady, Bilal El Khannouss, Danny Ward, Woyo Coulibaly, and Jamie Vardy during the transfer window.
All this, combined with the fact they haven’t spent a single pound on transfer fees this summer, leaves Leicester in a notably weaker position than the last time they were in the Championship under Enzo Maresca.
Leicester City’s points deduction “would be a disaster”:
Speaking to Football League World, Leicester fan pundit Louchlainn shared his view on his club’s possible points deduction.
Louchlainn said: “I think the worrying thing now for Leicester fans is the points deduction. We haven’t started the season incredibly, and there’s a lot of room for improvement. And I think we’ve had a fairly average start to the season; it’s not been terrible.
“The worry is that when a points deduction comes, that could just completely destabilise us on the pitch mentally, and obviously league position as well.
“Let’s say you take off ten points now, we’re very close to the bottom, if not bottom, I’ll have to check that.
“It would be a disaster on that front, and you kind of just worry more, will that affect the players mentally in a negative way?
“Will some of them have their heads dropped or turned in January, because of that? We will have to see.
“Hopefully, we win enough points by the end of the season to finish in the play-offs.”
Leicester City will still hold promotion hopes amid points deduction uncertainty:
Even if Leicester do face a points deduction, they will still retain genuine aspirations of securing an immediate return to the top tier.
Under new manager Cifuentes, the Foxes have made a steady start to the season, winning three, drawing four, and losing one of their first eight league matches.
However, concerns are growing, as all four of those draws have come in their last four fixtures, meaning they haven’t recorded a Championship victory in over a month.
Leicester still boast a strong attacking unit, with the likes of Abdul Fatawu, Stephy Mavididi, Jeremy Monga, Jordan Ayew, Patson Daka, Julian Carranza, and Bobby De Cordova-Reid among their attacking options.
That gives them one of the most potent frontlines in the division, and as long as Cifuentes can fine-tune the attack, goals shouldn’t be too big of a concern despite some recent warning signs.
However, with four consecutive draws, Cifuentes may soon come under mounting pressure if he fails to start collecting more wins sooner rather than later.
Whether Leicester will indeed be hit with a points deduction, when that might occur, and how severe it could be, remains unclear — but for now, their only option is to stay focused on the fixtures ahead.
Swansea City await next for the Foxes, who will aim to secure their first win in five when they travel to South Wales this weekend.