Nine goal thriller sums up an odd if not relatively normal season for Leicester City

Is this what a normal season feels like? No real threat of relegation, no real chance of upsetting the big boys and just the one managerial change. For Leicester City, this season marks the first in quite some years where it’s just ended. Were it not for the 5-4 loss we finished on, it would have been the least eventful end to a campaign in almost a decade. The Tottenham game and result perfectly sums up our season. Some incredible pieces of attacking football and build-up play undone by moments of defensive shambles.

Managerial changes and drama bookend the season

We wouldn’t be Leicester if we hadn’t at least created our own drama in the closing weeks. Building discontentment looked set to end our season on unhappy terms. As it is, a mixed bag of feelings is what we’re left with. A summer of rebuilding and planning awaits. For Foxes fans, the thing we need an almost instant answer on is Claude Puel’s future. Whether you are Puel in, or Puel out, there is no point in delaying a decision. We have a squad in transition. Older players who need younger cover to start replacing them and a couple of key gaps. Whoever gets the nod, they’ll have their work cut out.

August feels like a long time ago now. Our season opener, a 4-3 loss to Arsenal remains a sore point. We didn’t deserve to lose and for some time, that performance was easily our best. With Craig Shakespeare at the helm, our chances were unknown but we felt optimistic. That game, and our 2-0 home win over Brighton that followed turned out to be a little misleading. It was a long two months until the next league win and Shakespeare’s bubble somewhat burst. Our problems weren’t particularly new, but it didn’t make them any less frustrating.

Cue Claude Puel. Drafted in to take over and steady the ship, the Frenchman did that. Since his appointment, we’ve spent a large chunk of the season in eighth or ninth. A good turnaround given a lack of depth in certain areas and a lack of support from the crowd at times. There have been great displays under his management. The mauling away win at Southampton for one and the final home win over Arsenal. Unfortunately there has been a lot of painfully lacking performances in between. If Jamie Vardy’s post match interview after Arsenal is to be believed, much of that sits with the players failing to execute their instructions. Whether it’s too late for him to come back from fans voting with their feet, voices and generally a lack of patience remains to be seen.

The end of the road for Riyad Mahrez?

If this season has given us one thing, it’s a likely last hurrah for Riyad Mahrez. It’s no exaggeration to say that I will never see another player like him at my club. I can’t imagine anybody else having a more incredible, classy first touch. Having the privilege of watching the Algerian effortlessly turn players inside out and score brilliant goal after brilliant goal never ceases to excite. It’s a reminder of how I felt when I first walked into Filbert Street, the pure joy of watching football. If it is to be his last time in a Leicester shirt, then there is nothing to say but thank you for the memories and that we look forward to seeing him take that next step up. Replacing him, or trying to, is a priority but a difficult one.

Foxes must get the summer right this time

Whoever is in charge, Leicester City absolutely have to get the summer transfer window right. There can be no more ‘why did we sign them then?’ moments like we’ve had with Ahmed Musa, Islam Slimani and so on. Puel has one thing in his favour, he’s more hands on in this department. Fousseni Diabate is proof of this. The winger has come into his own more in the last couple of weeks proving the raw talent the manager has seen in him. More signings like this wouldn’t go amiss as we move to a younger, up and coming team.

It’s not often I’m happy to close off a season, but I’m ready for the break. Ninth is nothing to complain about. After some roller coaster years, maybe we should be grateful to have endured a fairly nondescript season as an established Premier League side. I can’t help but feel this year, and last, contained some missed opportunities though. Our squad isn’t ready for European football again in its current state, I’m ok with that, but we came so close to a good domestic Cup run that we simply squandered at the last minute. I still want to believe that with time and a good squad cleanse, Puel is the man to take us forward.