DEAL DONE? NOT SO FAST… Leicester City are FINALLY closing in on a sporting director, but leaked timelines suggest a MAJOR power struggle behind the scenes. Who blinked first?

A fresh timeline has emerged in Leicester City’s pursuit of a new sporting director, with the club now closing in on a key appointment.

According to BBC Sport, James McCarron is poised to take up the reins at the King Power Stadium as Leicester City’s new sporting director next month. The report suggests the Foxes are on the verge of bringing in McCarron to fill the newly established role within the club’s revamped hierarchy.

McCarron currently serves as Director of Player Development at the City Football Group—the parent company that oversees clubs such as Manchester City, New York City FC, and Melbourne City. His association with Manchester City dates back to 2018, where he initially spent three years as the head of sports science and medicine for the women’s team.

He later gained valuable leadership experience as sporting director at Lommel, a Belgian side and sister club within the City Football Group network, a role he held for four seasons. McCarron assumed his current position last summer.

His extensive back catalogue of roles also includes a stint as Elite Performance Manager at the Premier League and a previous position as Head of Performance at Sunderland. Once appointed, it is anticipated that he will collaborate closely with the club’s long-serving director of football, Jon Rudkin.

Speaking about the new structure last month, Leicester chairman Aiyawatt ‘Top’ Srivaddhanaprabha outlined the vision for the appointment, stating: “We have to get back to what the identity of Leicester is.

“When the structure changes and we get the new sporting director in, we will make sure that we are seeing what the identity of Leicester is, what football we should play, what player we should bring in. I think that will be more clear.

“The identity has to be clear. I’m not saying the new guy is going to be coming in and changing everything just like that. It will take time. We have to build a squad and a culture.

“He’s not going to be a wizard, but it will be someone who is sure how we should play football and will help the manager and players to understand how.”