Leicester City are now considering a move for former manager Martin O’Neill, according to The Independent’s Miguel Delaney.
What’s the latest on Leicester’s search for a new manager?
The Foxes, and by extension, owner Khun Top, are on the search for a new manager after parting ways with Brendan Rodgers over the weekend. Adam Sadler and Mike Stowell took temporary charge in the week but couldn’t turn the club’s fortunes around, with Leicester falling to a 2-1 Premier League defeat to Aston Villa.
A crucial King Power Stadium meeting with relegation rivals AFC Bournemouth is next on the agenda for Sadler and Stowell, but it looks as if the Foxes are eyeing caretaker appointments until the end of the season.
Delaney, chief writer for The Independent, shared a story regarding Leicester’s search for a new manager in the last 48 hours. He stated that the club have been turned down by former Chelsea boss Graham Potter and are eyeing a short-term solution until the end of the campaign, with one option being O’Neill.
The reporter adds that O’Neill and Rafa Benitez’s names have been discussed internally at The King Power, with Premier League experience seen as key.
Would a King Power reunion with O’Neill work?
O’Neill enjoyed plenty of success during his first stint as Leicester boss between 1995 and 2000, making an immediate impact by taking the club into the top flight via the playoffs during his first season and winning the League Cup on two separate occasions, resulting in European football.
In total, O’Neill has won nine major honours as a manager, however, he has been out of work since 2019 after leaving Nottingham Forest in the Championship, so a reunion could be a gamble.
His last experience in the Premier League came with Sunderland 10 years ago now, where he was sacked at The Stadium of Light after a poor run of results. Therefore, you could argue that a move for someone like Benitez could be a better option, as the Spaniard has taken charge of Newcastle and Everton in recent years.
The 62-year-old is also eyeing a return to the dugout and is on the search for a project, so he could even be the answer to the Foxes’ long-term managerial plans, should he guide the club to safety in the run-in. The vital match against Bournemouth is fast approaching, though, so it looks like Sadler and Stowell could be in charge again this weekend.