Why Leicester City can’t sack Ruud van Nistelrooy this season even if he’s a rubbish manager

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Leicester City have put all their eggs in the Ruud van Nistelrooy basket in their bid to avoid relegation in 2024/25.

The Foxes are back in Premier League action later today, taking on Brentford at the Gtech Community Stadium.

Leicester City lost 2-1 to Chelsea in their last fixture, now earning just two wins from their opening 12 games.

This has seen the Midlands outfit slip down to 16th in the league table ahead of kick-off, while they could still end the weekend back in the relegation zone.

19th-place Crystal Palace are just two points off them at present, while 18th-place Ipswich Town are only one point adrift.

Position	Team	Played MP	Won W	Drawn D	Lost L	For GF	Against GA	Diff GD	Points Pts
14	West HamWest Ham	12	4	3	5	15	19	-4	15
15	EvertonEverton	12	2	5	5	10	17	-7	11
16	LeicesterLeicester	12	2	4	6	15	23	-8	10
17	WolvesWolves	12	2	3	7	20	28	-8	9
18	IpswichIpswich	12	1	6	5	13	23	-10	9

In turn, it is fair to state that, at present, Leicester are firmly among the contenders to be relegated to the Championship for the 2025/26 season.

To their credit though, the Leicester owners have acted quickly to avoid such a problem arising, dismissing Steve Cooper last week and appointing Ruud van Nistelrooy as manager on Friday.

• READ MORE: Former title-winning Leicester City manager was the reason behind Ruud van Nistelrooy appointment

Leicester City not in position to sack Ruud van Nistelrooy

The Dutchman has agreed to stay at the King Power until the end of the 2026/27 season.

His main focus ahead of his first game in charge versus West Ham United on Tuesday will be to turn their form around and get Leicester as far away from the bottom three as possible.

However, even if results don’t go his way in the coming months and Leicester end up in the relegation zone, the club are in no position to sack the 48-year-old.

According to the Telegraph, Aiyawatt Srivaddhanaprabha addressed the Leicester squad at their training ground this week after Cooper’s sacking.

When doing so, he mentioned that Leicester can’t afford to pay off another manager right now as it will put even more of a strain on their difficult financial situation and hamper their attempts to comply with PSR.

• READ MORE: Manchester United fans all make same point after Ruud van Nistelrooy joins Leicester City

What Aiyawatt Srivaddhanaprabha said about Ruud van Nistelrooy

The Foxes have some tough fixtures coming up but also have a great chance to put some distance between themselves and their rivals when they clash in the coming weeks.

And though Leicester can’t really afford to sack Ruud this season, even if it doesn’t work out, their owner is backing the ex-striker to succeed.

After Van Nistelrooy was confirmed as manager on Friday evening, Srivaddhanaprabha released a glowing verdict on the Dutchman and backed him to do well.

He said: “It is my pleasure to welcome Ruud to Leicester City.

“He joins a Club with a rich history, passionate supporters, and a talented squad, and we are all excited to see the impact he can have as we embark on this new chapter together.

“Ruud’s experience, knowledge, and winning mentality will undoubtedly bring great value to us, and we look forward to supporting him in achieving success for our fans and our Club.”