How Gary Rowett really feels about taking Leicester City job | OneFootball

Gary Rowett has opened himself up for the Leicester City job next season as the Foxes head down to League One

Leicester City capped off a hugely disappointing year with a 1-0 away victory over Blackburn Rovers, with it set to be an incredibly busy summer at the King Power Stadium.

It's been an insane decade for Leicester supporters, who, this time ten years ago, were celebrating lifting the Premier League trophy in one of sport's greatest-ever achievements.

An FA Cup and Community Shield success, followed by spells in all three of UEFA's European competitions, followed, with the Foxes suffering relegation in 2023, promotion in 2024, relegation in 2025, and now relegation to the third tier in 2026.

It's an almighty underachievement for Leicester, who will be playing in the third division of English football for just the second time in their nearly 150-year history, and will no doubt be targeting an immediate return to the Championship.

Though who will have the privilege of leading the former English champions into the third tier remains to be seen, with current boss Gary Rowett declaring his stance on the matter.

Gary Rowett is open to leading Leicester City into League One next season, ahead of a huge summer rebuild

It's difficult to find any sort of positives coming out of this season for Leicester.

Their 1-0 away victory over Blackburn on the final day meant they went the final three games without defeat, with draws against Hull City and Millwall, both of whom will be heading into the play-offs, as the Foxes displayed they can go toe to toe with some of the division's best.

However, they were not able to show it enough or when it truly mattered, as they prepare for just their second-ever year in the third tier.

Gary Rowett, who took charge of the club following the departure of Marti Cifuentes, won just two of his 14 games in charge, unable to work his magic and guide the Foxes away from danger as he had previously done with Oxford United.

Now, Rowett, who is set to leave the King Power Stadium at the end of his season, has opened the door to remaining with the club beyond the summer.

Following their 1-0 victory at Ewood Park, Rowett said: "I see a fantastic opportunity here. There’s going to be some big decisions. It’s going to need someone who is brave enough to make those decisions.

"This team needs to look very different, the culture needs to look very different. But it’s a great opportunity so of course I would like that opportunity.

"But what’s more important is the club getting it right, because it’s a fabulous football club.

"I’ve enjoyed the 14 games. It’s been tinged with frustration and disappointment that we’ve played well in a lot of those games and lost four of them. We shouldn’t have lost that. We should have won a lot more. But it’s easy to say that.

It’s important the club get it right, whatever decision that is. But of course I’d like this opportunity to rebuild this. I think I could be exactly what the club needs."

Rowett hasn't shied away from his desire to oversee Leicester's rebuild in the third tier, though whether he would indeed be the right man for the job, as he states, remains up in the air for speculation.

The 52-year-old, since taking charge of Burton Albion in 2012, has never earned promotion in his career, having often specialised with clubs perceived as underdogs and overperforming expectations, as he did with the likes of Birmingham City, Derby County, and Millwall previously.

He would be afforded a £50 million budget at Stoke City following the Potters' inaugural season in the Championship in 2018, but that went far from planned, as he barely lasted six months in the Potteries.

Whether he has learned from those mistakes is up for debate, though at this stage, he has firmly put himself in the running for the permanent job with the Foxes, with the club set to appoint a permanent boss over the next couple of months.

Leicester City's future remains uncertain ahead of the League One campaign

There remains a huge degree of uncertainty surrounding Leicester heading into next season.

A raft of players are set to leave the club this summer, including long-serving captain Ricardo Pereira, after eight years of service with the club.

Almost certainly, a huge portion of the squad that has been relegated won't be playing for Leicester next season, and whether the Foxes can withstand that amount of turnover and bounce back at the first time of asking is uncertain.

Whoever takes the reins to guide them into the third tier will have a huge task on their hands, and it's imperative that whoever the club appoints is the right person to take them forward. Whether that is Rowett is up for debate.