Craig Shakespeare to stay as Leicester City manager until end of season
Craig Shakespeare’s first two games in charge produced 3-1 wins over both Liverpool and Hull City as Leicester City moved three points clear of the relegation zone and into 15th place in the table.
Craig Shakespeare has been confirmed as manager of Leicester City until the end of the season after winning his first two games in charge as caretaker boss of the faltering Premier League champions, the club said on Sunday.
Shakespeare, previously a Leicester coach, took over after Claudio Ranieri was sacked last month -- less than a year after the Italian manager guided the 5,000/1 outsiders to the most improbable Premier League title triumph.
Under Ranieri, the Foxes suffered a major slump this season and were just a point above the bottom three when the club’s Thai owners sacked the veteran manager.
However, Shakespeare’s first two games in charge produced 3-1 wins over both Liverpool and Hull City as the champions moved three points clear of the relegation zone and into 15th place in the table.
“Leicester City Football Club is pleased to confirm Craig Shakespeare as its first-team manager for the rest of the 2016/17 season,” said a club statement.
First-team and goal-keeping coach Mike Stowell remains on board, as do the rest of the backroom staff.
Leicester’s first match since the 53-year-old Shakespeare’s elevation will be Tuesday’s Champions League last 16 second leg tie at home to Sevilla, where the Foxes will look to overturn a 2-1 deficit from the first leg in Spain.
“Craig’s skills as a coach and the high regard in which he is held by everyone at the club were well known to us,” said Leicester vice-chairman Aiyawatt Srivaddhanaprabha.
“We always knew the team would be in good hands when we asked him to take charge a fortnight ago.
“He has initiated the type of positive response that we hoped change would bring, showing great leadership qualities and composure under considerable pressure to produce two very important results. We have asked him to continue to lead the team this season and we are very happy that he has accepted.”
Shakespeare joined Leicester as assistant to then manager Nigel Pearson in 2008, spending a season with Hull City in 2010/11 before the Srivaddhanaprabha family brought him back to the club as part of Pearson’s reappointment in 2011.
He stayed at the King Power Stadium following Ranieri’s arrival in 2015 and was a key lieutenant to the former Chelsea manager during Leicester’s maiden English title success last season.