Ancelotti to Leicester unlikely, says Clement

Speculation surrounding Carlo Ancelotti and the Leicester City vacancy is unlikely to come to fruition, according to Swansea City head coach Paul Clement.

The Foxes, struggling in the Premier League relegation zone with one win from eight matches, sacked Craig Shakespeare on Tuesday and have placed Michael Appleton in caretaker charge for Saturday’s trip to face the Swans.

Rumours have emerged suggesting Ancelotti – who departed Bayern Munich last month after a 3-0 Champions League defeat to Paris Saint-Germain – could be in line to take over at the King Power Stadium.

But Clement, who worked under Ancelotti with Chelsea, PSG, Real Madrid and Bayern, believes the Italian will continue to enjoy his break from football until 2018-19.

“The last time I spoke to him he said he’s taking time off and wants to go into club football again next summer. I don’t see why that would have changed,” Clement told a media conference.

“He’s going to have the rest of the year off. Good for him as well.”

Clement has sympathy for Shakespeare, but feels Crystal Palace’s sacking of Frank de Boer came as a greater surprise.

PC: “It’s a shame when a fellow manager loses his job. Craig did extremely well at @LCFC, helping the team become champions.” pic.twitter.com/hwKMVvPhkO

— Swansea City AFC (@SwansOfficial) October 19, 2017

“It’s a shame when a fellow manager loses his job. We all know the pressures we face,” Clement said.

“He did well not only as manager at end of last season but also in his role as assistant and behind the scenes to help that team become champions.

“He earned it, steadied the ship and won his first five games last season, had a good run in the Champions League.

“It’s sad because eight games in he’s been judged on results and they’ve decided to remove him. I wish him the best and hope he gets another position soon.

“It was more shocking the change of Frank De Boer after four games. That’s double but still a short time to make a decision that someone isn’t good enough to take the team forward.”