There is a lot of admiration from Newcastle United fans for Leicester City.
And it’s no surprise – there’s a lot to like about the Foxes.
They upset the apple cart in 2016 when they won the Premier League title against the odds. From fighting relegation the season before, they managed to burst their way into the top six and finish top of the pile.
It was an astonishing achievement that will arguably never be repeated.
But that isn’t the only reason Leicester are liked so much. They’re a well run club that has kicked on from that shock title win and solidified themselves as a big player in English football.
They’ve signed young, talented players with a lot of potential, such as James Maddison, Caglar Soyuncu and James Justin. They also play attractive football thanks to their manager Brendan Rodgers, who has played an important role in Leicester really becoming one of the Premier League’s top sides (even if results this season haven’t been great).
Away from the pitch, their owners have shown ambition with investment in training facilities. The Foxes now have a state of the art training ground.
Leicester are a wonderfully run football club. It’s what fans aspire for, and Newcastle supporters are no different.
But there’s a difference between wanting to emulate Leicester and simply just wanting to be them.
Newcastle can’t just become Leicester
Since the Newcastle takeover went through, the Magpies have been linked with a ridiculous amount of players and managers.
And surprisingly, a fair few come from Leicester.
Brendan Rodgers is reportedly one of the contenders to replace Steve Bruce. Meanwhile, Youri Tielemans and Wesley Fofana have both been linked with moves to St James’ Park.
They would all be wonderful additions for the Magpies. Rodgers would be a dream appointment for a lot of fans, while Tielemans and Fofana would walk into our starting XI.
But if all these rumours turn out to be true, we might as well just start wearing blue and relocate three hours down the M1. Or maybe the consortium should have just bought the Foxes instead.
Of course, it is just paper talk and some rumours will hold more credence than others.
But if they are true then perhaps the new Newcastle owners need to be reminded that we just want to be like Leicester, not actually become them.