Next for Leicester? Multiple pitfalls

Claudio Ranieri and his Leicester players should cherish the moment of lifting the Premier League trophy. Because the histories of other modest clubs that surpassed themselves suggest that the fortunes of the odds-beating Foxes could plunge sharply from here.

Like his Italian counterpart, French coach Rene Girard also experienced the joyous high of leading an underdog team to the top. His Montpellier side which, like Leicester, had been playing lower-league football just a few years earlier, defied expectations and wealthy Paris Saint-Germain to win its first French Ligue 1 title in 2012.

Like Leicester, Montpellier was outgunned financially. PSG’s resource-rich Qatari owners spent money like water after taking over the club in 2011, recruiting star coach Carlo Ancelotti and star players — midfielder Thiago Motta from Inter Milan, Brazilian defenders Maxwell from Barcelona and Alex from Chelsea, among others.