Simon Jordan backs Leicester City for League One resurgence - Khun Top is "taking responsibility" | OneFootball

Leicester will return to League One for the first time in 17 years

For the first time since 2009, Leicester City will ply their trade in League One from next season after their shock relegation was confirmed on Tuesday night.

Needing a win at home to Hull City to keep their slim survival hopes intact, the Foxes could only muster up a 2-2 draw with Sergej Jakirovic's men at the King Power Stadium - leading to their spot in the third tier of English football being confirmed.

It was very much a toxic atmosphere in the East Midlands, with owner Aiyawatt Srivaddhanaprabha, who assumed control of City when his father Vichai - whose leadership led to an historic Premier League triumph in 2016 - was tragically killed in a helicopter crash outside the stadium complex over two years later, addressing disgruntled fans post-match.

The 40-year-old has had a turbulent time as owner of the Foxes, and it remains to be seen how Leicester can bounce back from their recent woes, which has seen them drop from the Premier League to League One in 12 months, and it's likely that there will have to be significant departures to reduce the wage bill, especially after the revelation that they will have significantly reduced broadcast income next season due to borrowing against future revenues back in January.

Leicester City tipped to return to the Championship 'stronger' by Simon Jordan

One person who is backing the Foxes to come back stronger though is none other than former Crystal Palace chairman Simon Jordan.

Jordan has been particularly outspoken about Leicester's demise even prior to their relegation being confirmed, hitting out at the current set of players for their underperformance, but after reacting to Srivaddhanaprabha's actions towards the fanbase after the Hull game, the talkSPORT pundit thinks that relegation may actually help the club to return a bigger and better force.

"It's a version of leadership, isn't it? It's taking responsibility, suggesting that they're going to fix the problems that you would've preferred to be fixed whilst in the Championship, the fact they're in the Championship's bad enough but now they're in League One," Jordan said on talkSPORT on April 22.

"They'll go into League One and probably come back quite strong, because they've got the budget and the finances to be able to do so, even though there's a discussion about how they're going to re-finance, what they're going to sell and how the banks won't touch them with a rotten stick."

Jordan however does believe that the players that did go and talk to fans after being relegated - such as Hamza Choudhury and Jamaal Lascelles, who only joined during the January window - will perhaps be some of the first out of the door if they get better offers this summer.

"I'm not interested in Hamza Choudhury going over and talking to the fans - do your talking on the pitch," Jordan exclaimed.

"You got relegated, they're going to make a big song and dance about the fact they lost six points because they were taken away from them due to financial breaches - they'd still be relegated, they'd still be in amongst it.

"Look at that line-up of players - there's a lot of Premier League footballers in there. There's a lot of players that'll be in and amongst that group that will be highly-paid, that have not done their jobs this season.

"The ones that are off talking to the fans will be the ones that are first out of the door, if they get an opportunity. It's a shame.

"It's not something that hasn't happened before. Look at Leeds United - out of the Premier League for 20 years, look at Nottingham Forest, European Cup winners, out of the Premier League for 20 years. Look at Sheffield Wednesday, Ipswich Town, UEFA Cup winners of 1981, relegated in 2002 and don't see the Premier League for 22 years.

"Leicester's story is so significant because of the fact they won the Premier League 10 years ago, but the club was never the same post the tragic loss of the owner."

Leicester City will need a huge rebuild to get out of League One at first time of asking

It cannot be overstated how much Leicester will need to change their personnel to become a well-run, functioning club once more, given the failures of the past two seasons.

Wages are capped at 60 per cent of a club's revenue in League One as per the EFL's financial rules, so there's going to be necessary departures for high-earning players - eyes will be locked on to the likes of Harry WInks, Ricardo Pereira, Abdul Fatawu and many others who will still be on Premier League contracts at the Foxes.

Due to their contracts, Leicester may struggle to get what they feel is a fair valuation for some of their faltering stars, and the sheer discrepancy of what the current players are earning and what new recruits are likely to be offered could cause some issues.

Taking all of that into account though, Leicester - barring anymore nasty financial surprises - will still be in a better position than most to challenge for automatic promotion next season, but it will need a united front of Khun Top, a new manager and some solid recruitment to make that happen.