Thousands bet on Leicester being relegated next season

About 1,500 people have just placed their bets on the new Premier League champions, Leicester City, to be relegated in the 2016-2017 season.

The figure of around 1,500 bettors is just a statistic from the betting company Bet365. It took the company only about three days to reach this figure. The number of bettors has increased rapidly since last Friday, when it was revealed that Leicester City could lose their best striker Jamie Vardy to Arsenal.

"The odds on Leicester being relegated next season have been steadily falling since last Friday night, from 50-1 to 40-1, then 33-1. They are now down to 25-1, but still attracting attention," said Bet 365 spokesman Steve Freeth.

The departure of key players like Vardy could cause Leicester to lose its strength. Photo: Reuters

It is not unreasonable for thousands of people to bet on Leicester being relegated next season. In addition to the risk of losing Vardy to Arsenal, the new Premier League champions may also have to sell N'golo Kante and Riyad Mahrez. These three players were all crucial to the success of last season.

Leicester could lose a number of good players because they don't have the financial capacity to keep them. In the Vardy deal, Arsenal are willing to pay the full $29 million to activate the contract termination clause, and pay the striker a weekly salary of $175,000.

No Premier League champion has ever been relegated the following season. Chelsea's tenth-place finish last season was the worst finish by a defending champion.

According to VNE