"It's ridiculous" - Gary Lineker issues honest Leicester City prediction | OneFootball

Gary Lineker believes that Leicester City's financial woes have come as a result of their own success, as the Foxes have had to pay big wages to ensure they could compete at the top.

Leicester have been promoted to the Premier League again ahead of the 2024/25 season, but were placed under a registration embargo in March following a breach of Profit & Sustainability rules.

In April, it was also announced that the club had made an £89.7million loss for the 2022/23 season, so winning promotion back to the Premier League was a necessity to avoid financial disaster.

The Foxes were relegated last season after nine consecutive seasons which saw the club win the league, and qualify for European football on two other occasions. Lineker believes that the club has paid the price for trying to compete with some of the biggest clubs in the country.

Gary Lineker tips Leicester City to stay up on one condition

After winning the Championship, the Foxes have made an immediate return to the Premier League, but Gary Lineker believes the financial situation hanging over the club is still a worry.

Lineker said: "It was a brilliant season. Leicester did what they had to do, they got up, they won the league,” Lineker said at the FWA Awards via William Hill. “But obviously, everyone at the club is anxious about the financial side of things and whether they’ll have to sell players. They might even get a points deduction.

“Leicester are suffering for their own success because they won the league and finished fifth in two consecutive seasons. In order to keep in that position, they’ve fallen foul by having to pay enormous wages.

“If they’ve made mistakes, they’ll have to own it – it’s a worry for all Leicester fans. But the important thing was to get up because even if you get the points deduction, and you get relegated, you’ll still be in a position to get back up again. If they hadn’t have gone up this season, it would have been catastrophic. “It’s ridiculous, the situation with Premier League football that teams that get promoted can’t really compete.

“But if there’s not a points deduction and they don’t have to sell any players, I think Leicester can stay up.”

Keeping hold of key players is paramount this summer for Leicester City

Before Leicester City can even think about new signings, they'll want to ensure that they can keep hold of the players that got them to the Premier League in the first place.

It remains to be seen whether the club will face a points deduction or be forced to sell players to raise funds, and Leicester City supporters face a nervous summer, hardly ideal preparation for a Premier League campaign.

However, winning promotion could have softened the blow financially for the Foxes, and may ensure that they're able to retain key players like Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall this summer.

As Gary Lineker alluded to, the Foxes have had to pay big wages in the past when the club have been competing for Champions League spots, and relegation really hurt the club after being a top-half Premier League side just the year before.

This time around, Leicester City need to be more sensible with their money as they've seen how easy it is to have one bad season and end up being relegated, and whilst making the odd addition here and there might be necessary if they're able to, they should instead prioritise keeping their best players at the club instead of splashing the cash.