When Leicester City were relegated from the Women's Super League to WSL 2 in May, it was the catalyst for a mass exodus from the club. Fourteen players have already left in the summer transfer window including nine who featured in the WSL play-off defeat by Charlton Athletic. Goalkeeper Janina Leitzig switched to Manchester United while talented attacking trio Hannah Cain, Noemie Mouchon and Jutta Rantala joined Everton.
It means a major rebuild is on the cards as they look to bounce back from the second tier this season. However, captain Sam Tierney, who is the longest-serving player at Leicester, gave supporters a major boost when she agreed a new deal until 2028 in July. The 27-year-old has made 151 appearances for the Foxes and has been there through thick and thin - so why has she chosen to stay?
"I'm not the type to want to jump ship. Since I've been at Leicester, I've created a genuine connection with the club," Tierney told BBC Sport. "I wanted to succeed and we've had a good number of years where's it's been up and down, but I feel like now we're at a point where we can rebuild.
"I think it's difficult because Leicester, at the minute, gets a bit of a bad rep. The club is fantastic and so are the people. "It's a family kind of club and we're just going through a change.
I am very proud to play for Leicester." What does WSL relegation mean for Leicester City? Find interviews and extra content on the BBC Women's Football Weekly feed Last season was one to forget for Leicester as their five-year stay in the WSL ended the same way as their men's team, who were relegated to League One. The women's side picked up just two wins from their 22 matches and ended with a -41 goal difference having struggled to score.
It sparked concerns about the women's team's future with questions being asked as to whether they would continue playing at King Power Stadium and if their budget would be slashed. But the club have acted swiftly, allowing players who wanted to leave to go for valuable fees which have been used to reinvest in the squad. Only time will tell if it will be enough but Tierney hopes this is an opportunity to grow a new Leicester that will "make people jealous" in the future.
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