James Maddison has opened up on the “hurt” and “devastation” he is feeling after Leicester’s relegation from the Premier League was confirmed.
The East Midlands side endured a rotten season and despite their 2-1 win over West Ham on the final day of the season, fell through the trap door into the Championship. It brings to an end a hugely successful near-decade in the top-flight that has seen Leicester lift the title and FA Cup, whilst regularly play in Europe.
Maddison has become one of the first Foxes’ stars to respond to Leicester’s relegation with a sombre social media post. Taking to Instagram, he shared an image of him on his haunches.
A caption alongside the post read: “Absolutely devastated to be relegated from the Premier League. I’ve took a bit of time to reflect on the outcome of the season and to be honest it doesn’t make it any easier at all.
“This will hurt for a very long time and probably stick with us all forever. But that’s life & it’s about how you bounce back from setbacks & failure and unfortunately that’s exactly what this season was.. a failure.
“We should never have been in the position we were, with the players we have. But we take responsibility for that & the negativity that comes with it & continue to stick together @lcfc.”
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Leicester’s relegation is certainly not the fault of the former Norwich playmaker. The 26-year-old scored ten goals and provided nine assists in the Premier League.
With just one year left on his current contract at the King Power Stadium, interest in his services is expected to be high. Arsenal have been regularly linked, whilst Newcastle are likely to be interested as they attempt to add to their squad ahead of returning to the Champions League.
Maddison could be among a clutch of first-team stars to leave Leicester this summer after relegation. Youri Tielemans has already announced he will bid farewell at the end of his contract.
Whilst Maddison has a decision to make on his long-term future, he will first want to focus on his latest England call-up. After securing a place in the squad for the World Cup in Qatar, he has returned to Gareth Southgate’s selection for the latest round of international fixtures.
The Three Lions at first take on Malta in a Euro 2024 qualifier before hosting North Macedonia at Old Trafford three days later. Maddison only has two caps to his name having regularly been a star performer for Leicester.
He at Leicester arrived from Norwich for a fee of £20m back in 2018. The playmaker has made 203 appearances for the club, scoring on 55 occasions.
