Alex Lee
Leicester City players celebrating after confirming promotion to the Premier League.
After spending one year in the Championship, Leicester City will return to the Premier League for the 2024/25 season. Their promotion was made official when Leeds United took a shocking 4-0 loss to Queens Park Rangers Football Club (QPR) and were mathematically unable to stop Leicester’s return to the top flight. Securing promotion with two games to play, Leicester continued its strong form and finished the season in first place.
While only gone for one season, Leicester is a completely transformed side compared to the team that was relegated in 2023. Their unfortunate departure from the top flight led to a mass exodus of Leicester’s core, which included James Maddison, Harvey Barnes, Yorui Tielemans, Jonny Evans, and Timothy Castagne. Dean Smith, who replaced former coach Brendan Rogers in April, also left shortly after their relegation, setting the stage for Enzo Maresca to take over as manager.
Tasked with rebuilding a shallow team lacking identity, Maresca first brought in Mads Hermansen, Conor Coady, and Harry Winks. He hoped this newfound talent would allow him to play his desired style of football — and it did. Hermansen completed more passes than any other Championship goalkeeper, fulfilling Maresca’s vision of having the goalkeeper act as another outfield while in possession. Coady also allowed Maresca to play deep balls in behind the back line, while Winks slotted seamlessly into midfield, completing a league-high 348 passes into the final third last season.
These smart signings along with the club’s already existing quality saw Leicester get out to an early lead at the top of the table, winning thirteen out of their first fourteen games. They entered 2024 boasting a ten-game unbeaten streak and a ten-point lead above second-place Ipswich Town.
A mid-season loss of form allowed Leeds and Southampton to put real pressure on Leicester as the season entered its final months. They even found themselves in third place at the start of April, but a convincing 5-0 victory against Southampton restored confidence within the team and propelled them towards a spot in the Premier League.
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