Nigel Pearson believes Leicester City are more than capable of challenging for a top six spot in the Premier League under Brendan Rodgers next season.
Former Foxes boss Pearson enjoyed two spells in charge at the King Power Stadium and has recently returned to England after a stint in the Belgium second division with OH Leuven, where he linked up once again with the Srivaddhanaprabha family, who own both clubs.
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Harvey Barnes celebrates scoring against West Ham United after breaking into the Leicester City team
With rising stars in James Maddison, Harvey Barnes, Ben Chilwell, Harry Maguire and of course the pace of Jamie Vardy in the squad, Leicester finished the season strongly under Rodgers, who left Celtic in February to succeed Claude Puel.
A ninth-place finish coupled with Manchester United’s poor form and question marks about both Chelsea as well as Arsenal’s capabilities has left Foxes fans dreaming of a potential top six challenge next season, something which Pearson thinks is not out of the question.
Speaking to talkSPORT last week, the 55-year-old said: “I think Brendan is a really good appointment for the football club. I’m sure they will continue to evolve the squad.
“There is a realistic chance for sure of them achieving the goal of the top six and European football for the following year. I think that’s something he and the club will be very transparent about and I think they’ve got a very good chance.”
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Pearson’s name is certainly etched in Leicester folklore having played an important role in the club’s success on the pitch in recent years.
It was the former Middlesbrough and Sheffield Wednesday defender, of course, who, firstly, guided the club to the League One title, before returning to the King Power, following a short stint in charge of Hull City, to complete the job, helping the Foxes win the Championship in 2014.
If two promotions weren’t enough, the Foxes then pulled off the great escape by securing Premier League safety despite looking down and out at Christmas, with many crediting the 55-year-old for putting the building blocks in place for the incredible title push which took place the following year.
One player Pearson knows well from his time at Leicester is left-back Chilwell, who has now established himself as England’s first choice left-back following a strong campaign with the East Midlands side.
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Chilwell has committed his future to Leicester but is wanted by several sides
That form has led to reported interest from Manchester City, but Pearson believes Leicester can keep hold of the 22-year-old starlet.
“He was a player who, even in my time there, there were links with really big clubs being interested in him,” Pearson explained.
“It’s a good example of a player getting playing opportunities at a club who have, subsequently, had incredible success. Leicester has been a really good place for him to learn his trade and I think now with Brendan being there, the ability for Leicester to compete with top clubs really improves the chances of him (Chilwell) staying there.”
The 55-year-old perhaps earnt a reputation for his fiery character with Leicester following public spats with a reporter and a Foxes supporter as well as a touchline incident with Crystal Palace’s James McArthur.
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Nigel Pearson has returned from Belgium
But in this interview, Pearson was a calm, thoughtful and an engaging character who seems not only comfortable in himself, but his surroundings, too.
He has renewed vigour after an ‘enjoyable’ spell in charge of OH Leuven and hasn’t ruled out managing abroad again either.
“I really enjoyed my experience over there,” he explained.
“No manager enjoys being sacked or having a season where results don’t go the way you want. The first season was particularly enjoyable. We just missed out on promotion. We had a very positive year.
“This year has been difficult, but the overall experience was enjoyable. I loved living abroad. I found that the players had a lot of humility. The format of the league was very difficult to be a success with.
“I think it’s important to take opportunities on their merits when they come along, so it (working abroad) is definitely something I’d consider.
<img class="size-thesun-article-image wp-image-550308" alt="Pearson spent four months with OH Leuven, a club also run by the Srivaddhanaprabha family" src="https://talksport.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2019/05/Nigel-Pearson-2.jpg?strip=all&w=960" alt="" width="960" height="640" />
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Pearson spent four months with OH Leuven, a club also run by the <span style="font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, Oxygen-Sans, Ubuntu, Cantarell, 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif">Srivaddhanaprabha</span> family
“The opportunity came along to work there because of the connection with King Power and Khun Vichai, who sadly passed away last year. The opportunity to work with them again was a big drawer. It’s a really good project to take on and I certainly have no regrets.”
Now back in the UK and out of work, Pearson has been linked with various vacancies.
He was reportedly interviewed for the QPR job and has also been linked with Middlesbrough as well as West Bromwich Albion, both clubs which Pearson represented earlier in his career.
The 55-year-old finished his playing career at the Riverside stadium and after retiring, enjoyed a caretaker spell in charge of West Brom, but remained tight lipped on any rumours linking him with either side.
On the Middlesbrough vacancy, he said: “I know the club. I enjoyed four very enjoyable years as a player but that’s a very long time ago now.
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Nigel Pearson has Championship experience with Leicester and Derby
“It’s a job which would appeal to a lot of people who are currently looking for work. It’s a fantastic football club and I’m sure whoever they decide to take the role moving forward will have the full support of the chairman and it will be a great job for whoever gets the job.”
He added: “West Brom have missed out in the Play Offs and Middlesbrough have just missed out on the Play Offs. They are both clubs with aspirations of getting back to the Premier League. I think both clubs have now got the situation where they need to make an appointment based on who they feel will take the club in the right direction.
“If I’m interested in jobs or not, I’m not someone who normally publicly goes out and talks about it. But clearly, they are both really good football clubs with history, potential and they will be good jobs for whoever gets them.”
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Nigel Pearson kept Leicester City in the Premier League in 2015, against all oods
This weekend, though, Pearson will don his walking boots as he takes on the Three Peaks challenge to raise money for the Welsh Air Ambulance, the University Hospitals of North Midlands Charity and the Wolverhampton and District MS Therapy Centre.
The former Leicester boss will tackle Ben Nevis, Scafell Pike and Snowdon alongside his wife’s sister in law as well as family friend Gareth Challinor, who was previously involved in a motorbike accident whilst racing in Wales.
Pearson said: “My wife’s godson Gareth Challinor was involved in a motorbike accident a couple of years ago on a racing bike. He had some quite severe injuries – he broke his pelvis, hip, arm and was in quite a serious state. He was airlifted from where he was racing in Wales to Stoke University Hospital.
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A view of the north ridge of Ben Nevis
“The idea of doing the challenge is to raise some money for the air ambulance and the hospital and the Wolverhampton MS Unit who he visited afterwards which helped with getting oxygen into the blood system to help the healing process.
“We’re trying to raise in excess of £3000 which will be split between the three charities. Already we’ve hit 40% of that so we’re going to try and surpass our limit. It’s an important part of it for a thank you from Gareth and his family.”
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