Clubs with Premier League pedigree dropping into League One are nothing new, but no decline matches that of Leicester.
It was only a decade ago that the Foxes were celebrating their famous 5,000-1 Premier League success.
Five years ago they lifted the FA Cup, and it is just four years on from their first-ever European semi-final when they lost to Roma in the Europa Conference League.
Three relegations in four seasons, having initially yo-yoed between the Premier League and Championship before suffering back-to-back drops, have plunged the club to arguably the lowest point in its history.
There will once again be financial pressures on the Foxes, who have been hit with a points penalty for historical overspending last season.
They also need to rebuild a side that has badly underperformed in recent years despite being stacked with talented players such as Ghana’s Abdul Fatawu, Denmark’s Jannik Vestergaard, former England midfielder Harry Winks and Belgium’s Wout Faes, who remains on the Foxes’ books after seeing out last season with Monaco on loan.
Russell Martin, who guided Southampton to Premier League promotion just two years ago, has been appointed to lead Leicester’s on-field revival.
The job in the third tier also represents a chance for the 40-year-old to resurrect his managerial reputation after a disastrous 17-game spell in charge of Scottish side Rangers last season.
There is also a theme of resurrection about Sheffield Wednesday’s return to League One after three seasons, with the club now owned by US consortium Arise Capital Partners.
With Leicester and Sheffield Wednesday in League One, it once again means that more than a third of the clubs in the division have played in the Premier League, with the others being Bradford City, Blackpool, Barnsley, Huddersfield Town, Luton Town, Reading and Wigan Athletic.
Luton, a side that suffered back-to-back relegations after spending the 2023-24 season in the top flight, fell one place and one point short of the play-off spots under Jack Wilshere last season.
The former England and Arsenal midfielder, who guided the Hatters to EFL Trophy glory in his first season in management, had been linked with a possible move to Leicester earlier in the summer, but opted to stay at Kenilworth Road.
