Ranieri’s Refusal To Tinker Sees Hernandez Depart

Champions Leicester are now a squad member lighter with the news that Luis Hernandez has left for Malaga, bringing an end to a relatively short stint at The King Power Stadium.

Brought to the club last summer from Sporting Gijon on a four-year deal, life in Leicester for Luis Hernandez did not really gone to plan as he has struggled to break into the first-team with just three Premier League appearances to his name.

And just six months into that deal it seems as if Hernandez’s desire for first-team football was to great with a move back to La Liga completed earlier Today.

You could say that Hernandez epitomises what was wrong with Leicester’s transfer dealings over the course of last summer. Ranieri wanted to add squad players to a title winning team, but the fringe players have had very little impact as the manager stays loyal to his title winning stars.

That means that for a player like Hernandez his route to the XI was all but blocked off and he had to make do with being an unnamed substitute in matchday squads. But with Leicester’s star players nowhere near the level that won them the title last season you have to question how wise it has been to stick with the same stars.

In terms of the transfer business over the Summer only Islam Slimani has made any real positive impact this season with his goals in the Champions League helping The Foxes reach the Round of 16 in their debut appearance in the competition.

But with the same side only 5 points from safety and nervously looking over their shoulders in regards to a relegation battle, the question needs to be asked as to whether Ranieri is or was right to show continued faith in the players that won that fairytale first ever title last May.

With any title winning team the next step is to then see that team evolve so that they can continue to challenge for honours, any trophy winning side can seldom afford to rest on their laurels and the cliche that ‘It’s harder to win the title but even harder to defend it’ could not ring any truer for Leicester.

It does also ask a wider question as to whether or not Ranieri and the club owners should be considering his future at the club. With results looking precariously how much time does the Italian have at the Leicester helm. Should be afforded a free pass after last seasons heroics or should results continue to worsen will the Thai owners get the jitters just like many other club chairman before them.

That’s a question for another day but at least the F.A. Cup at the weekend will bring some brief respite from a non-existent defence of the title. Leicester fans would have expected it to be tough this season they perhaps did not expect to be this tough.