Leicester vice chairman: 'We will forever be grateful' to Ranieri

The dreaded “vote of confidence” proved once again to be little more than a kiss of death.

After backing manager Claudio Ranieri earlier this month, Leicester City’s front office made the largely unpopular decision to part ways with the Italian bench boss on Thursday, some nine months after he masterminded the most unlikely title in Premier League history.

Read more: Ranieri fired by Leicester City after wretched run of form

With the club in serious danger of being relegated this season – the Foxes sit 17th, just a solitary point above the drop zone – Leicester brass explained its decision to relieve Ranieri of his duties.

“This has been the most difficult decision we have had to make in nearly seven years since King Power took ownership of Leicester City. But we are duty-bound to put the Club’s long-term interests above all sense of personal sentiment, no matter how strong that might be,” vice chairman Aiyawatt Srivaddhanaprabha said.

“Claudio has brought outstanding qualities to his office. His skillful management, powers of motivation, and measured approach have been reflective of the rich experience we always knew he would bring to Leicester City. His warmth, charm and charisma have helped transform perceptions of the Club and develop its profile on a global scale. We will forever be grateful to him for what he has helped us to achieve.

“It was never our expectation that the extraordinary feats of last season should be replicated this season. Indeed, survival in the Premier League was our first and only target at the start of the campaign. But we are now faced with a fight to reach that objective and feel a change is necessary to maximise the opportunity presented by the final 13 games.”

Ranieri, hired by Leicester amid little fanfare in July 2015, had reportedly drawn the ire of multiple players in the dressing room for his chopping and changing of personnel this season, and his future came under increasing question as the Foxes continued to slide down the table to their current position.

Ultimately, despite the heights of last season – the likes of which will almost certainly never be reached again at the King Power Stadium – there is little place for sentimentality in football, particularly when relegation could see the club take a massive financial hit.