Leicester City crisis: Russell Martin under pressure at Foxes

Former Leicester City defender Conor Coady believes the problems at his old club "have got to run deeper" than the manager and players after their difficult start to life in League One.

The former England international revealed he could feel the decline during his two-season spell in the East Midlands.

Leicester are 18th with five points from their opening five matches and were beaten 4-0 at home by Oxford United on Saturday.

Speaking on BBC Radio 5 Live's Monday Night Club , Coady said the club had been "in transition too long" following three relegations in the past four seasons.

"There's got to be something deep down that's wrong here because it's been going on for too many years," he added.

"Everyone will sit there and go 'the players aren't good enough'. They haven't been good enough. I was there, I felt it, I wasn't good enough when I was there.

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Coady joined the Foxes for a reported £8.5m in 2023 following eight years with Wolves but left for Wrexham after two seasons.

He believes Leicester have lost the identity that once made them one of the most difficult sides to face at King Power Stadium and led to the famous Premier League title in 2016 and the FA Cup win in 2021.

Recalling teams containing the likes of Jamie Vardy, James Maddison, Youri Tielemans, Wilfred Ndidi, Wes Morgan and Robert Huth, he added: "It was one of the hardest games you were going to have in a season.

"I just feel like that identity has been lost over the years. I was part of that team when we lost that identity."

Last season, Leicester City owner Khun Aiyawatt 'Top' Srivaddhanaprabha told BBC Sport he shouldered the blame for the club's decline - and he has since put the club on the market with an asking price of more than £200m.

'There doesn't seem to be a strategy' - Smith

Observer football journalist Rory Smith questioned Leicester's recent managerial appointments and whether there is a clear long-term strategy at the club.

He pointed to the differing styles of Leicester's recent managers and said it "doesn't suggest there's any real strategy" or an "overarching belief" from the ownership about what the club should be.

Smith also believes expectations will make patience difficult, with Leicester regarded as one of the biggest clubs in League One.

"They should have the quality to be relatively competitive within League One regardless," he said.

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Coady believes Leicester did make progress over the summer by refreshing the squad and giving opportunities to younger players.

But he said the appointment of Russell Martin requires patience because of the time needed to implement his style of football.

"They've decided to bring Russell in, so you decide to tie your flag to the mast and go, 'right, we are going to go with this'," Coady said.

"If they're going to make a decision after four or five games, there was no point in bringing Russell in because that's not the sort of manager he is."

'Martin needs a result quickly' - Sutton

Former Blackburn Rovers striker Chris Sutton believes Martin's reputation for possession-based football could make his position increasingly difficult if results do not improve.

"There is this perception now which is following him around of his teams just being purely possession-based and all about keeping the ball and not having any thrust or cutting edge," Sutton said.

"The job he's gone into at Leicester, because of the expectation this season, is for them to bounce straight back."

Smith argued Martin's reputation could also mean supporters are less willing to give him time, despite his previous success in guiding Southampton to promotion from the Championship.

Sutton agreed the criticism of Martin following his short spell at Rangers had not always been fair, but said Leicester's ambitions leave little room for a slow start.

"He needs a result or two quickly to turn the tide," Sutton added.

"Leicester fans expect the team to go up, and that's his biggest problem."

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