Amid speculation over whether Leicester City can maintain their Premier League-winning momentum, boss Claudio Ranieri has said he did not try to persuade former scout Steve Walsh to stay.
Walsh, the brains behind bringing both N'Golo Kante and Riyad Mahrez to the King Power, recently left the Foxes to take up a new role as the director of football at Everton and has left fans worried about the longevity of the club's current hot streak.
Ranieri, however, remains unfazed by the loss of the super scout.
“No, I didn't try to persuade him to stay,” he told reporters. “I spoke with him and understood [his plans].
“Look, last season these boys lost [Nigel] Pearson, [Esteban] Cambiasso... and nothing changed. We improved – and we hope to improve again.
“N'Golo had a fantastic season and Chelsea paid a lot of money for him. Steve did a fantastic job and now he's gone to Everton. We must continue to build, just as the chairman told me a year ago.
“Slowly build a team, get into the Champions League [he said]. We did all that in one year. Now we must clean up everything and start building again.”
When asked if the recent losses would have a destabilising effect, captain Wes Morgan was of a similar attitude to that of his manager.
“I don't see why,” he said. “We've got new additions to the team so if anything we should be getting stronger.
“All I can say is we're still a good solid unit. It's sad seeing players depart but we're professionals. We know what our jobs are and we need to keep looking forward.”
- Goal