(MENAFN- Khaleej Times) With a first Premier League title under their belts and a place secured among Europe's footballing elite, Leicester City could be forgiven for expecting the silverware to just keep coming.
But the Foxes' Italian boss Claudio Ranieri is keeping his players' feet firmly on the ground, insisting the goal for 2016-17 remains the same as 12 months earlier - avoiding relegation. "It's the same this season at the start - to achieve 40 points, at the beginning, to be solid and to believe in yourself," the 64-year-old Italian said. Leicester, 5,000/1 outsiders in pre-season, were crowned champions for the first time in their 132-year history in May, handing Ranieri his first domestic title as a manager. They are due to lock horns in the pre-season International Champions Cup in Los Angeles Saturday with French title winners, Paris Saint-Germain. Ranieri, who will surely have the tougher task, has been busy in the transfer market, beating the club record outlay twice in a week to secure French midfielder Nampalys Mendy for 13 million ($17.2 million, 15.4 million euros), and Nigerian forward Ahmed Musa for 16.6 million. One of Ranieri's biggest headaches ahead of the season opener at Hull will be keeping his team of newly-minted all-stars together, with big-spending Premier League rivals dangling lucrative contracts. Welsh international midfielder Andy King - the only player in the Premier League era to have won titles in the top three tiers - gave the manager a boost by signing a four year deal Friday. The 27-year-old, who made his Leicester debut in 2007, joins 19-year-old Ben Chilwell in committing to the King Power Stadium along with Jamie Vardy, who has rejected an offer from Arsenal. Ranieri told reporters King was "a good example for everybody," and described Chilwell as "one of the best young players in the UK."
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