Dean Smith bizarrely claims it will be ‘an achievement’ if Leicester stay ‘with the group of players we have’ with the Foxes two points from safety – and says he isn’t thinking about his future beyond the end of the season
- Dean Smith insisted it would be ‘an achievement’ if Leicester avoided relegation
- The Foxes are two points from safety but have a game in hand over Everton and Leeds
- And boss Smith says he’s not thinking about next season, only the next game
Leicester boss Dean Smith insisted it would be “an achievement” if Leicester avoided relegation this season.
The Midlands side finished eighth in the Premier League last season, four points from the Europa Conference League places and six points from the Europa League places.
However, this season has been hugely disappointing, with Smith’s predecessor Brendan Rodgers sacked in April after a last-minute loss to Crystal Palace.
The club signed defenders Wout Faes in the summer and Harry Souttar and Victor Kristiansen in January, but their form continued to dip.
And despite owning players with the talent of James Maddison, Jamie Vardy, Harvey Barnes and Youri Tielemans, Smith claimed he would be proud if the Foxes stayed up.
Dean Smith insisted it would be a feat if Leicester avoided relegation this season
The Foxes currently sit 19th in the Premier League table and are in serious danger of falling
His comments come despite foxes having the talents of Harvey Barnes and James Maddison
He said: “It will be a feat if we can stick with the group of players we have and the position they were in.”
“And that would be something that we would be really excited about afterwards.”
When asked if he was able to think beyond the end of this campaign, Smith added: “No, not at all. I mean, I can’t even think beyond Liverpool right now, so I’m just focusing on that.
Smith, 52, was speaking ahead of the club’s clash with Liverpool at the King Power Stadium on Monday night.
The former Aston Villa and Norwich manager won one, drew two and lost two of his five games in charge.
