Leicester City eye ex-Stoke City player to replace Gary Rowett | OneFootball

Leicester City are poised to take action in their managerial search as they prepare for life in League One after relegation from the Championship

Leicester City will be braced for seismic change as the Foxes prepare for life in League One after suffering a shock relegation from the Championship.

Leicester's fate was officially sealed with a frustrating 2-2 draw at home to top-six challengers Hull City a week ago, which capped off a disastrous campaign for the East Midlands outfit following relegation out of the Premier League alongside Ipswich Town and Southampton.

Whereas those two sides remain firmly in the hunt for automatic promotion, though, Leicester have regressed at an alarming rate throughout the season and were already looking nervously over their shoulder at a potential relegation battle before receiving a six-point deduction from the EFL in February owing to Profit and Sustainability (PSR) breaches during the 2023/24 campaign.

Leicester's season simply went from bad to worse and the appointment of Gary Rowett, who also managed now-relegated Oxford United earlier on in the campaign, failed to revive City's fortunes.

Having only signed a deal to run until the campaign, Saturday's trip to Blackburn Rovers is set to represent the 52-year-old's final match in charge as the Foxes set their sights on replacements ahead of a significant rebuilding process in English football's third-tier.

Now, with Rowett's future at the King Power Stadium appearing increasingly clear, Leicester have elected to attempt a swoop for a former Stoke City player now making waves in management heading into the summer months.

Leicester City eyeing NEC Nijmegen boss Dick Schreuder to replace Gary Rowett

Leicester find themselves searching for a seventh permanent managerial hire in just over three years, and are pursuing talks with one of the top-performing bosses in the Eredivisie as they look for Rowett's successor.

The manager in question is NEC Nijmegen boss Dick Schreuder, who, as per a recent report from the exclusive Patreon service of The Sun's Alan Nixon, has earned his fair share of admirers among the Foxes' hierarchy.

Nixon reported on Tuesday lunchtime that Leicester want to undertake discussions with the 54-year-old over the possibility of becoming City's new manager and leading the club out of League One.

It's said that Leicester are impressed by the Dutchman's body of work in his native country, although it remains unclear whether he is willing to take a third-tier job at this moment in time - which City are actively trying to find out.

Schreuder is currently earning no shortage of plaudits over in the Netherlands in what has been an excellent campaign for Nijmegen, who are on course to achieve an all-time highest league finish this term.

Despite working on a limited budget, Schreuder's side are positioned in third place with just three games to spare. They're above Dutch giants Ajax right now and are likely to secure UEFA Europa League qualification, while an entrance to the Champions League could be on the cards if they can topple Feyenoord in second.

Schreuder is no rookie in the duguout, having formerly led the likes of PEC Zwolle and Spanish second-tier outfit Castellon before taking the job at Nijmegen last summer.

Leicester City manager target Dick Schreuder has English football experience

Schreuder hardly represents a household name on these shores, although the sought-after Leicester target would bring some unexpected experience in the English game.

That's because, during a playing career which spanned 15 years and was primarily played out in Dutch football, Schreuder briefly undertook a forgettable two-game loan stint with Stoke City in the 1997-98 season.

The former midfielder only made two appearances in the Potteries before swiftly returning home, although he did later come back to England to accompany Edgar Davids in his infamous stint at Barnet.

Schreuder joined Barnet in June 2013 as head of coaching and, following the dismissal of Davids some six months later, he endured a short tenure as joint manager alongside fellow countryman Ulrich Landvreugd.

That spell culminated in four successive defeats and Schreuder proceeded to head back to the Netherlands once again that summer, although he's evidently come on leaps and bounds since his stay in North London and it will be interesting to see whether Leicester can convince the Dutchman to lead the club's new League One era.