Wout Faes has provided a scathing assessment of Leicester City’s dramatic decline, claiming the club has “collapsed like a house of cards” over the last two years. The Belgian center-back, currently enjoying a successful loan spell at Monaco, spoke candidly about his impending permanent departure from the King Power Stadium and his belief that his benching earlier this season was a directive from club hierarchy rather than a tactical choice by the manager.
As Leicester City faces the grim prospect of a second consecutive relegation—potentially reaching the lowest point in the club’s storied history if results do not improve over the final eight matches—Faes is experiencing a complete contrast in fortunes. His loan side, Monaco, is currently riding a five-match winning streak, lifting them to sixth in Ligue 1 and within striking distance of Champions League qualification.
Reflecting on the dysfunction at his parent club, Faes told Het Laatste Nieuws: “If you look at the standings in the Championship, you can imagine what things are like there at the moment. Since the departure of Enzo Maresca, it has collapsed like a house of cards. It is a real shame, because Leicester is and remains a wonderful club, with tremendous potential.”
The defender also shed light on the friction regarding his playing time before his January exit. Despite being a regular under Marti Cifuentes initially, he was abruptly dropped to the bench in November. Faes is convinced the decision was made “above the manager’s head” to force a winter move.
“Dropping to the bench was indeed new and difficult for me, because before that, I basically always played wherever I was,” Faes explained. “At the end of last season, it was clear to both sides that our cycle had come to an end after three years and that we could work towards a transfer. Logically, I didn’t play in the first weeks of the season, because the coach didn’t want to build a team with a central defender who was, in principle, going to leave.”
Although several clubs showed interest last summer, no agreements were reached with Leicester, leading to his return to the lineup in September. However, the silence following his second benching in November spoke volumes. “I started playing again, until I ended up on the bench again in November, without really being spoken to. To be honest, I think the decision was made from above to make it clear that it was better for me to leave in the winter.”
Looking toward the future, Faes is focused on making his move to France permanent. Monaco holds an option to buy in his loan contract, which remains valid until a week after the season concludes. Regardless of whether they trigger it, Faes expects to leave Leicester for good this summer, with just over 12 months left on his current deal.
“It would obviously be nice if I could stay, Monaco is a wonderful club,” he added. “I play, I feel appreciated, but even if that is not the case, I think the six months I have been here will open other doors.”
