Jordan Ayew relegated for a sixth time after Leicester setback

• Posted on April 22, 2026April 22, 2026
• by Nana Kwesi Coomson
• Comment

Leicester City have suffered a dramatic fall to English football’s third tier after their relegation to League One was confirmed following a 2–2 draw with Hull City at the King Power Stadium.

The result seals back-to-back relegations for the Foxes, completing a painful decline just a decade after their historic Premier League title win 2016, widely regarded as one of the most remarkable triumphs in modern football.

Needing victory to keep survival hopes alive, Leicester faltered early when a misplaced pass from Asmir Begovic gifted Liam Millar the opening goal for Hull, silencing the home crowd.

The hosts responded after the break, with Jordan James converting from the penalty spot after Fatawu Issahaku was fouled. Momentum shifted further when Luke Thomas volleyed home from close range to give Leicester hope of a turnaround.

Ayew’s relegations;

1. Sochaux (2013–14 loan): Ayew joined Sochaux on a six-month loan, featuring in 17 Ligue 1 matches for a team battling relegation — and they went down. 

2. Lorient (2014–15): Relegated from Ligue 1 at the end of his only season there.

3. Aston Villa (2015–16): Relegated from the Premier League despite finishing as the club’s top scorer.

4. Swansea City (2017–18): Relegated from the Premier League again, also as the club’s top scorer.

5. Leicester City (2023–24): Relegated from the Premier League down to the Championship.

6. Leicester City (2025–26): Leicester have now suffered a further shocking relegation to League One, with their fate confirmed after a 2–2 draw against Hull City.

However, the revival proved short-lived as Oli McBurnie struck to restore parity for Hull. Late pressure from Leicester failed to produce a winner, with Patson Daka hitting the crossbar and further chances going begging, confirming their relegation.

For Ghanaian captain Jordan Ayew, the outcome adds another chapter to a difficult personal record, as he becomes one of the few players to experience relegation on six separate occasions across Europe’s top leagues.

Ayew’s sequence of relegations began during a loan spell at Sochaux in the 2013–14 season, before a similar fate followed at Lorient the next year. He endured another drop with Aston Villa in 2015–16 despite finishing as the club’s top scorer, and again with Swansea City in 2017–18, where he also led the scoring charts.

More recently, he was part of the Leicester squad relegated from the Premier League in the 2023–24 campaign, before the club’s latest fall to League One in 2025–26.

While the 33-year-old has consistently contributed individually across these campaigns, often emerging as a key attacking figure, the recurring team outcomes have drawn attention to an unusual and unwanted pattern in his career.

Leicester’s latest relegation marks a stark reversal of fortunes for a club that once defied odds to conquer English football, and raises fresh questions about rebuilding at the King Power Stadium.

Ayew’s Leicester contract runs out at the end of the season.