- The BBC revealed on Thursday that Leicester City worked under a transfer embargo for five weeks in the summer window, and owner Aiyawatt Srivaddhanaprabha had not told supporters.
- The embargo related to the EFL’s Salary Cost Management Protocol, and Leicester went on to sign 16 first team players once it was lifted.
- Fans reacted angrily on social media, while manager Russell Martin’s side have won two games in a row.
Leicester’s Supporters Learn About the Embargo From the BBC
Leicester City supporters have been unhappy with their ownership for some time, and a BBC report on Thursday gave them a fresh reason. The club had been working under a transfer embargo for five weeks in the summer window, and Aiyawatt Srivaddhanaprabha had not disclosed it, according to talkSPORT.
The embargo related to the EFL’s Salary Cost Management Protocol (SCMP). talkSPORT reports that an independent Club Financial Review Panel agreed that future Premier League distributions inside Leicester’s SCMP calculation could not be used to increase their spending capacity. Once the embargo ended, the former Premier League champions signed 16 first team players, which talkSPORT describes as the club’s biggest squad turnover for many years.
What Fans Said
Supporters took to X. “The fact that we, as supporters, were not given any inclination of this [the embargo] is a disgrace,” one fan wrote. “Good owners remain honest and transparent, they don’t hide away key details like this.”
Another posted: “Great communication from the worst ran club in the country, once again King Power out.”
talkSPORT says criticism of the owner and senior leadership is nothing new. Chairman Khun Top has long been attacked for the club’s lack of communication with supporters, and much of the anger is aimed at Chief Football Officer Jon Rudkin, who is widely blamed for poor player and manager recruitment and for the large contracts handed out in recent years.
Rudkin spoke to the media for the first time in several years recently, appearing in the press box minutes before Leicester’s 3-1 home defeat to Peterborough United. talkSPORT says neither his words nor the performance did much to ease supporters’ anger.
A Decline That Started in 2023
The club’s financial problems go back to its Premier League relegation in 2023, when a squad featuring Youri Tielemans, James Maddison and Jamie Vardy fell into the second division. A short return to the top flight under Enzo Maresca was followed by back-to-back relegations, and Leicester are in League One for only the second time in their history.
talkSPORT reports they now hold the record for the highest wage bill ever to be relegated from both the Premier League and the Championship. Last season the club had six points deducted for breaching profit and sustainability rules in their 2024 Championship-winning campaign.
This summer Leicester tried to cut the bill by selling several big-name players, including Abdul Fatawu to Ipswich Town and teenager Jeremy Monga to Manchester City, both for sizable fees. talkSPORT says the sales were a necessity for Leicester to be able to sign new players.
Russell Martin and a Mini Revival
Results on the pitch have improved. After the Peterborough defeat, Leicester beat Doncaster and Bromley. They moved from one point above the drop zone to 10th, three points short of the playoff places with a game in hand on the current top six.
Russell Martin joined in the summer overhaul after spells at Rangers and Southampton. talkSPORT’s analysis says Leicester switched to a back three and now play through the lines more quickly, with less methodical build-up play and more aggression out of possession. A win against Luton at the weekend would make three wins in a week.
As talkSPORT puts it, the embargo is the latest stick for fans to beat the club with. The players and Martin can answer only with results, and promotion would make further sanctions less likely.