Emile Heskey on the “ferocious” Championship that Leicester City will return to next season

Leicester City‘s return to the Premier League lasted just one season.  

After collecting only 25 points and finishing 18th, the Foxes are heading back to the Championship for the 2025/26 season.  

It’s a sobering outcome for a club that, less than a decade ago, lifted the Premier League trophy in one of the most remarkable underdog stories in football history. 

This latest relegation was a confirmation of a year-long struggle, marked by inconsistency, managerial uncertainty and a squad that never quite adapted to the demands of the top-flight.  

Momentum

Despite flashes of quality, Leicester couldn’t string together the kind of run that might have offered hope of survival.

The early optimism faded fast, and a squad filled with new faces and lingering doubts ultimately couldn’t bridge the growing gap between the Premier League and the rest. 

For Emile Heskey, a Leicester-born former player who helped the club to promotion in the mid-1990s and won two League Cup’s during his time at Filbert Street, the fall is difficult to watch, but he also sees an opportunity in what comes next. 

He believes momentum can be a powerful force – and pointed to the Foxes’ fairytale title win as proof when speaking to Prime Casino.

“It’s very important, when you think of it that way,” Heskey says, when asked how momentum can carry into a new season, even across divisions.

“Let’s go back to Leicester’s Premier League winning side – they had their last 10 games of the previous season, and I think they won eight of them to stay up.

“They were literally down – they’re dead and buried – and then they won those games and stayed up.

“The next season, they won the league, so yeah, there’s a momentum to be had in that sense.” 

Revolving door of managers

This season, Leicester didn’t have that kind of late spark.

If anything, the club looked more fatigued as the year wore on, struggling with injuries and confidence.

The revolving door of managers didn’t help, and with Ruud van Nistelrooy’s future still uncertain, the lack of clarity has extended into the summer. 

“It’s a little bit different now, because I would say the gulf between the two leagues is so much larger,” Heskey adds.

“You’ve got to spend a lot of money to really compete within the Premier League, because the other clubs have established themselves with the transfers they’ve already made.” 

That reality was reflected in Leicester’s recruitment last summer, which was criticised for not bringing in enough Prem quality players. 

High expectations

“Leicester will drop into the Championship and expectations will be high, but it’s a tough, tough league.” 

The Championship is often referred to as one of the most competitive divisions in world football.

The sheer number of games, the midweek fixtures, the relentless travel and the fight for promotion make it a huge test of endurance and character. 

“The great thing about the Championship is that it’s always competitive,” says Heskey.

“I played in the Championship in the last couple of seasons of my career with Bolton, and it was absolutely ferocious then.

“The intensity is incredible, not to just do it week in, week out, but they often have to do it twice a week. So many games.” 

The threat of Birmingham City

Next season won’t be any easier.

Birmingham City have been aggressively building their squad and infrastructure and are gearing up for back-to-back promotions following their League One success last season.

They are not the only ones, and the list of contenders is long and includes some massive names. 

“You’ve got Birmingham City now, who are not shy on spending money.

“They will spend money to mount a title charge as soon as possible. 

“They’re building a new stadium, they’re paying really good money for their players.

“They were already doing that in League One.” 

With so many clubs aiming high, Leicester won’t be handed anything.

Rebuild

Rebuilding their identity and finding stability on and off the pitch will be the foundation of any success. 

“The main thing for Leicester is that they’re challenging and not falling away,” Heskey says.

“I don’t think they’ll go straight back up necessarily, but I think they will be challenging and giving a good account of themselves.” 

There’s also the question of who will lead that challenge – the post-Brendan Rodgers era has been unsettled. 

Enzo Maresca brought promotion, but left for Chelsea, Steve Cooper came and went, and now Ruud van Nistelrooy has been at the helm, but reports suggest he may not continue.

That uncertainty around the manager and what kind of football Leicester wants to play is central to their rebuild. 

“We’ve gone from Brendan Rodgers to Enzo Maresca to Steve Cooper to Ruud van Nistelrooy to now – not knowing whether it is Ruud or someone else.

“There’s been so many different styles of play that we’ve got to really come back to looking at who we are as a club, who we are as a city, and what it is that we want.” 

Catch the full interview with Prime Casino here