Premier League: Craig Shakespeare appointed Leicester City manager on permanent basis

London: Craig Shakespeare has signed a three-year contract as manager of Leicester City, the former Premier League champions announced on Thursday. Shakespeare, 53, was promoted from his role as assistant coach on an interim basis following the shock dismissal of Claudio Ranieri in February. [caption id=“attachment_3533861” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  File photo of Leicester City manager Craig Shakespeare. AFP[/caption] His appointment sparked a striking upturn in form that saw Leicester secure their Premier League status and reach the quarter-finals of the Champions League. “This is a really exciting opportunity for me to continue along this new path in my career and to continue to work with a club and a group of staff I’ve grown extremely close to,” Shakespeare said in quotes published on the Leicester website. “I’m grateful to the owners and the board of directors for their continued faith and support. “Our preparations for pre-season and the new Premier League campaign have been ongoing for some time. “But we can now move on with certainty and ensure we are well equipped to compete at the levels now expected of a club like Leicester City.” Shakespeare had no previous managerial experience when he stepped into the hot-seat following Ranieri’s dismissal, which came with Leicester a point above the relegation zone. But he inspired the team to five straight league wins and they finished the season in a respectable 12th place. Ranieri, architect of Leicester’s 5,000-1 Premier League title win in 2016, was sacked after a 2-1 loss at Sevilla in the Champions League last 16. Shakespeare masterminded a 2-0 win in the return leg and then saw his team succumb to an honourable 2-1 aggregate defeat against Atletico Madrid in the last eight. “Craig has shown all the qualities in leadership, motivation and talent management that are required to be successful in this role,” said Leicester vice-chairman Aiyawatt Srivaddhanaprabha. “Those qualities, aligned with his first-class coaching acumen, his knowledge of Leicester City and its philosophy and the respect he has earned at every level of the club, make him the ideal choice to help take us forward. “Our primary objective for the coming years is to successfully translate the extraordinary experiences of the last two seasons into lessons that will strengthen and enhance the club’s pursuit of its long-term vision of sustainable success.” Shakespeare previously worked at Leicester as an assistant to Nigel Pearson and stayed on at the King Power Stadium after Pearson left in 2015. His first task will be persuading Riyad Mahrez to stay at the club after the Algeria winger announced he has decided to leave.