Leicester City’s owner has told Sky Sports News that, as well as a new manager, he is looking for a chief executive, commercial director and sporting director, as part of a major overhaul of the club’s structure.
Aiyawatt Srivaddhanaprabha has given his first interview since Leicester won the Premier League 10 years ago, and his first since his father, Vichai, was killed in a helicopter crash in the King Power Stadium car park in 2018. Khun Aiyawatt, as he is known, likens the club to his "son", saying he will not walk away and that he is determined to get Leicester back to the Premier League.
But he admits he is worried about the outcome of the outstanding PSR hearing which could mean a significant points deduction this season, and he says there will be more tough times ahead whilst Leicester look to reduce their wage bill and sell some high-earning players.
Sky Sports News' football correspondent Rob Dorsett sat down with the man known to the Leicester fans as 'Top'…
What is Leicester City's identity?
"When you cannot perform, first thing you need to do is stick together. Now we are apart, maybe for many reasons. The expectations of the fans are that we are a big club in the Championship. The Championship is a marathon and we need to be ready to run each kilometre. Maybe we have to be better at that. I can feel the fans and what they are looking for.
"Football has changed a lot. The club has gone from counter attack, to possession, to counter attack and back to possession. Now, we are in the process of finding the right way of playing.
"I'm not blaming anyone. I can take responsibility. But we are in the process of finding what Leicester should be in football. The size of the squad needs to change because the football has changed. We need to adapt. I'm sure we will make the identity of Leicester clear. The way of football needs to be better, that's clear. I need to help them."
Why is now the right time to speak?
"It's not about hiding or trying to avoid an interview. Not blaming Covid, but it changed a lot of things. What I created at the time - winning the Premier League and the FA Cup - that element has gone.
"I have a big job to do in Thailand and I have to make sure everything is OK and stable. It is not a one-day fix. It takes time. I always expect people who get a job here to work professionally and make sure that everything is running smoothly. If I come in every year like I did before, I feel like I will interrupt the way of working.
"I watch every game. I get very cross. I talk to my team and staff quietly. I don't need to tell you or the whole world what I have done. Maybe the communication is not nice for the fans.
"So, why now? It is not because of negativity or complaints from the fans. I want to pay them back and show we are aligned with a plan. Leicester fans have been supportive since the first day I came here. I really appreciate them. I know how it works. I know how social media works. The club needs to be better with its communication and it starts from myself."
How do you look back on your Premier League title win?
"The first day that I came in with my father, we were the Thai people that came to England to make one football club successful. That's been the ambition since the first day. When we won the Premier League, we knew that was the dream of sport, not just football.
"It was an amazing year. It was also a year that changed a lot at the football club. The ambition from being successful in the Premier League turned to being successful in Europe and fighting for the top four, five, six places in the league. But, with the size of the football club, to fight with the big six is not easy.
"The story will live forever, but we have to remember that we are a medium-sized football club. When the dream is so big, the expectation is huge. When you lose a game, it's not normal anymore. Fifteen years ago, Leicester could lose to the team at the bottom of the league and it is OK.
"We need to bring back that underdog mentality. Fighting spirit. Foxes never quit. You cannot be winning because you're thinking you are a giant of the football world. You have to be fighting and winning by building character."
How important is it to carry on your father's legacy?
"He loved football and everything he was doing. He wanted me to continue his vision. Even when he was alive he was like that. Though he's not here anymore, I know what he wants. I know his vision well. It was only really me who knew his plan.
"The success of the Premier League continued with the FA Cup. I tried to do it for him, and we did, which was not easy. That ambition I am sure is still there. Now, it's not easy because we never planned to get relegated. It's hard to take, but we regroup.
"When we went down, the next day I called a meeting with all the staff and said 'the target is to get back to the Premier League'. The ambition was clear, and we did get back to the Premier League. The plan was to stay up. The squad should've been good enough to stay up. But the plan had to change again.
"Losing the manager two weeks before the start of the season is very difficult. We came down again, which was painful. The pain was felt a lot. No one understands how I feel. My football club is falling from the stars to the ground. We have to make sure we get the right people and set the right structure quickly, but this isn't going to be a quick one."
Was your ambition the beginning of the problem?
"There's nothing wrong with having that ambition and plan. When Covid hits us hard, the fan engagement is gone. The players and myself, along with the fans, created a culture and family together. Then it is gone for two years.
"When I came back, the atmosphere had changed. We had to rebuild that again, but with a relegation fight, it's not easy. When you're at the top and have success, it's easy to push."
What is the plan now? How do Leicester get back to the top?
"The structure has changed. We have to bring in new people to help. It's clear we need to find a new CEO which I'm trying to do. A new commercial director should be appointed soon, and a new sporting director to help Jon [Rudkin, director of football]. After that, I need to get myself involved a lot more. Then, let's create from there.
"It doesn't mean we appoint three people and success will come, but the plan will be easier to follow.
"Jon will be above the sporting director. Inside Leicester, there is a huge job to do. I'm not saying who is right or wrong. When we have success, we have success together. When we fail, we fail together. Football has changed a lot, and we need new people to come in and help.
"The young players coming in, that is the foundation of Leicester now I think. We built a new training ground for that and we've played some more academy players and bring in some senior players to give them experience to help. That is the way going forward. 100 per cent, it will take time. I want to see many good academy players playing in the first team."
Do you have a timescale on the PSR ruling? The fans are getting worried
"I am worried too. Every year we try to comply with PSR. The only one we don't know what it is, is the year we get relegated. And when we didn't plan for that, it hit us hard. But the rest of the season we are compliant, and I am sure a club like Leicester, everybody knows our story, I know we are trying hard to comply. I cannot say much, but let's wait for a decision, and the quicker is the better for all."
How are the finances looking? Is there money to spend in January or the summer?
"The money we spend has to be compliant with PSR. Sadly that is not easy. I'm sure you see the feedback from the world of geopolitics and tourism in Thailand. That affects us. But I am 100 per cent committed to supporting the club. I do it even now. Is not a problem, it is more on how we are going to spend. How we are going to sell players to comply with PSR."
Can Leicester ever get back to where they were?
"When we won the Premier League, we created a culture that no one else could do. Secondly, we knew what we were going to do on the pitch. We knew that Claudio [Ranieri] is going to play counter attack. The players knew what to do. When we won the FA Cup, it was the same. Brendan [Rodgers] could produce the football and that was fundamental to everything.
"Now we need to find the right guy to come in and help set the standard of football."
It sounds like you want to go back to the fundamentals of Leicester City, is that right?
"Yes, and that I want to do what is right for the team long term. Not just a quick win. That takes time, but most important is we try to communicate more to the fans what we are doing. This season is hard but we need to fight."
Do you still have the same love for Leicester City?
"From the first day until now, I feel the same. It's like my son. You have to help your son to grow. I stay up until 3am, watching games until 5am in Thailand. The only part that is painful is that I cannot come to matches here."
Would you ever walk away?
"How can I walk away from my son?"