Leicester City’s owners have told Sky Sports News that they are looking for a new manager as well as a chief executive, commercial director and sporting director as part of a major overhaul of the club’s structure.
It is Ayawat Srivaddhanaprabha’s first interview since Leicester won the Premier League 10 years ago, and his first since his father Vichai died in a helicopter crash in the King Power Stadium car park in 2018. Khun Ayyawatt said he had no intention of walking away and was determined to get Leicester back into the Premier League, likening the club to his “son”.
But he admitted he was worried about the outcome of the pending PSR hearing, which meant a significant points deduction for this season, and said there were going to be tougher times ahead as Leicester looked to cut staff costs and sell some high-earning players.
Sky Sports News football correspondent Rob Dorsett spoke to the man known to Leicester fans as ‘Top’.
What is Leicester City’s identity?
“When you can’t perform, the first thing to do is to come together. Now we are separated, but there are probably different reasons. The fans’ expectations are that we are a big club in the Championship. The Championship is a marathon and we need to be ready to run every kilometer. Maybe we need to do it better. We feel the fans and what they want.”
“Football has changed a lot. The club has gone from counter-attacking to possession, counter-attacking and back to possession. Now we are finding the right way to play.”
“I’m not blaming anyone, I can take responsibility, but we’re trying to figure out what Leicester should be in football. Football has changed, so the size of the squad needs to change. We need to adapt. I’m sure we’ll define Leicester’s identity. The way we play football needs to improve, that’s clear. I have to help them.”
Why is now the right time to talk?
“It’s not about hiding or trying to avoid interviews. I’m not blaming Corona, but it has changed a lot of things. The elements of what I built then, winning the Premier League and the FA Cup, are gone.
Ayawat Srivaddhanaprabha admits Leicester City’s communication with fans has not been as good as he expected
“I have a big job to do in Thailand and I have to make sure everything is good and stable. It’s not something that can be solved in a day. It takes time. I always expect people who come to work here to work professionally and make sure everything is running smoothly. If I came every year like I used to, I feel like I would disrupt the way I work.”
“I watch every game. It’s very frustrating. I talk quietly with the team and the staff. I don’t need to tell you or the whole world what I did. Maybe the communication is not good for the fans.”
“So why now? It’s not because of the negativity or complaints from the fans. I want to give back to the fans and show that we’re on track. The Leicester fans have supported me since the first day I came here and I’m really grateful. I know how it works. I know how social media works. The club needs to improve its communication and that starts with myself.”
How do you feel looking back on winning the Premier League title?
“The first day I came with my father, we were Thais who came to England to build a successful football club. That was our ambition from day one. When we won the Premier League, we knew it was a sporting dream, not just football.”
“It was a great year. It was also a year of big changes for the football club. Our ambitions from success in the Premier League changed to success in Europe and competing for top four, five and six places in the league. But given the size of the football club, it’s not easy to compete against the big six.”
Ayawat Srivaddhanaprabha’s father Vichai celebrates Leicester City’s Premier League win
“This story will last forever, but we must remember that we are a mid-sized football club. When dreams are big, expectations are high. When you lose a game, it’s no longer normal. Fifteen years ago, Leicester could have lost to a team at the bottom of the league and it didn’t matter.”
“We need to get that underdog mentality back. Fighting spirit. The Foxes never quit. You can’t win just because you think you’re a giant of football. You have to build character and fight and win.”
How important is it to continue your father’s legacy?
“He loved football and everything he was doing. He wanted me to carry on his vision. Even when he was alive, he was. He’s not here anymore, but I know what he wants. I know his vision very well. I was really the only one who knew his plans.”
“The success in the Premier League continued in the FA Cup. I tried to do it for him and we achieved it, but it wasn’t easy. I’m sure that ambition is still there. But it’s not easy because we weren’t going to be relegated. It’s hard to take, but we got back together.”
Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha and Ayawat lift the Premier League trophy after Leicester’s famous win
“The day after the game I had a meeting with all the staff and said: ‘The goal is to get back to the Premier League.’ The ambition was clear and we actually got back to the Premier League. The plan was to keep going. The team should have been good enough to keep going. But the plan had to change again.”
“It’s very difficult to lose a manager two weeks before the start of the season. I’m down again and it hurts. The pain was felt very much. No one understands how I feel. My football club is falling from the stars. We have to make sure we have the right people and put the right structure in place quickly, but this won’t happen quickly.”
Was your ambition the start of the problem?
“There’s nothing wrong with having that ambition and plan. When COVID-19 hits us hard, the engagement with the fans goes away. The players and I and the fans built a culture and a family together. Two years on, that’s gone.”
“When I came back, the atmosphere had changed. We had to rebuild the atmosphere again, which is not easy in a relegation battle. Once you’re at the top and you’re successful, it’s easy to push up.”
What are your plans now? How will Leicester get back to the top?
“The structure has changed. We’ve got to bring in new people to help us. It’s clear we need to find a new CEO and that’s what I’m trying to do. A new commercial director will be appointed soon and a new sporting director to help John[Rudkin, head of football]. After that, I need to be more involved and let’s create from there.”
“Appointing three people won’t guarantee success, but it will make the plan easier to implement.
Ayawat Srivaddhanaprabha retains FA Cup
“John will be the sporting director. There is a huge job to do within Leicester. I am not saying who is right or wrong. When we succeed, we succeed together. When we fail, we fail together. Football has changed a lot and we need new people to come in and help us.”
“I think that’s the foundation of Leicester right now, young players coming in. So we’ve built a new training ground, we’ve had some more academy players play, we’ve brought in some senior players to give them useful experience. That’s the way it’s going to go. 100 per cent, it’s going to take time. I want to see a lot of good academy players playing in the first team.”
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Leicester City’s Jeremy Monga scores for the Foxes in the Championship game against Preston at just 16 years old
Is there a timescale for the PSR ruling? Fans are worried too.
“I’m worried too. Every year we try to comply with the PSR. The only time we don’t know what it is is the year we were relegated. And when we didn’t plan for that, it hit us hard. But we complied for the rest of the season. I’m sure everyone at a club like Leicester knows our story and we’re working hard to comply. I can’t say much, but the sooner the better for everyone.”
What is your financial situation? Do you have money to spend in January or summer?
“The money we spend has to be PSR compliant. Unfortunately, it’s not easy. I think we’re seeing the feedback from Thailand’s geopolitics and the tourism community. That’s affecting us. But I’m 100 per cent committed to supporting the club, and I still am. It doesn’t matter. It’s more about how we spend it. How we sell players to be PSR compliant.”
Can Leicester get back on track?
“When we won the Premier League, we created a culture that no one else could. Secondly, we knew what we were going to do on the pitch. We knew Claudio (Ranieri) was going to come on the counter-attack. The players knew what to do. It was the same when we won the FA Cup. Brendan (Rodgers) was able to produce football and that was the basis of everything.”
“Now we need to find the right players to come in and help us set the standard of football.”
It seems like Leicester City are going back to basics, are they?
“Yes, and I want to do what’s right for the team in the long run. It’s not just about winning right away. It takes time, but the most important thing is trying to communicate more to the fans about what we’re doing. This season is difficult, but we have to fight.”
Is your love for Leicester City still the same?
“From the first day until now, I feel the same way. It’s the same as my son. I have to help him grow. In Thailand, I stay up until 3 a.m. and watch the games until 5 a.m. The only hard thing is that I can’t come here to watch the games.”
Do you ever walk away?
“How can I leave my son?”
