Leicester City

Nigel Pearson: 'Hard work was not just done this season'

By Simon Sinclair, Reporter | 07 April 2014

Leicester City boss Nigel Pearson admits that the hard work in getting his side into the Premier League has been built over the past two-and-a-half years.

Leicester City boss Nigel Pearson has revealed that getting his side promoted to the Premier League was not solely down to the hard work done this season.

Pearson replaced Sven-Goran Eriksson as manager in 2011 and rebuilt the squad, allowing Matt Mills, Darius Vassell and Jermaine Beckford to leave the club.

In their place he bought Anthony Knockaert, Jamie Vardy and Wes Morgan, who turned out to be key players in the Foxes' push for promotion.

Pearson told reporters: "It is about what has been done over the last two-and-a-half-years. One of the biggest jobs when you take over a club is to get rid of the rubbish that is here. The players who don't have any value, whether that is financially or value to the team.

"That is the hardest job of any manager these days to offload the players you don't want. I still keep being reminded of how much money we have spent but I don't remember spending a lot of money since I have been here.

"We have certainly improved the squad hugely and we have trimmed it down and we are a better side because of it. That will be how we try and take the club forward."

Leicester are nine points clear of second-place Burnley as they look to cap off their season by winning the Championship title.