A squad assessment, transfer decisions, tactics, player relationships and dealing with set-pieces are all on the agenda for when City appoint a successor to Chelsea-bound Maresca

Provided Leicester City quickly appoint a successor to Chelsea-bound Enzo Maresca, the new manager will have around two months to get the team ready for the big kick-off on August 17.

Because of City’s success in the Championship, the new boss will not be tasked with turning around a team in disarray. But that does not mean they have time to put their feet up.

Here, we highlight the five big jobs that should be on the new manager’s summer to-do list to get City in a position where they can fight for survival in the Premier League. There’s plenty to be getting on with…

By the end of June, City need to have balanced their books. They’ve been charged over one alleged breach of Profit and Sustainability rules – and could be punished by a points deduction – so they do not want another charge hanging over them as they prepare for the Premier League.

It means they need to make profit on players before the accounting period closes on June 30. But while City and Maresca may have had ideas over which players are dispensable and which have more value in the transfer market than they do on the pitch, the new manager may have other ideas.

Take Victor Kristiansen as an example. The left-back did not fit into Maresca’s formation, but may work for the new boss. And as a young, improving, committed player, he might be worth keeping around.

So the new boss needs to quickly assess all of the players available to him and decide who he feels can play a role in his squad. That includes the club’s leading young players too. If the likes of Will Alves and Sammy Braybrooke are deemed ready for the first team, then that eases pressure in the transfer market.

Work with recruitment team on targets

Once into July, City can perhaps start thinking about the positions they need to strengthen to get the squad to a place where it can challenge for Premier League survival. Then, the new head coach will need to sit down with the recruitment team to settle on the attributes they’re looking for in any given position.

Transfers can sometimes be at the heart of a power struggle between a manager and the club they work for, but any new boss coming in should trust the scouting team City have in place. Head of recruitment Martyn Glover was praised by Maresca for uncovering Abdul Fatawu, while the deals for lesser-known players like Mads Hermansen and Stephy Mavididi also paid off handsomely for the club.

Win over the players after Maresca exit

Unlike when a manager’s been sacked and the squad are perhaps more open to new ideas to turn the form around, City’s new boss will be coming into a squad that have not only just won a title, but were fond of the man who led them to it. The new manager will have to work to show they’re worthy of being Maresca’s successor.

The players are professionals and will get on with their job, but they were very impressed by both Maresca’s tactical knowledge and his work-rate. To convince the squad that they can maintain their good form in a higher division, the new manager will need to demonstrate they can get close to matching Maresca on both of those fronts.

Drill the tactics for Premier League return

City arrived in the Premier League with a very clear way of playing. The new boss needs to determine what they keep from Maresca’s year in charge and what they change.

Most managers have distinct styles of play and won’t consider what their predecessor did. But when Claudio Ranieri took charge, he made the sensible decision not to change much at all from the side that had been in good form prior to his appointment, and that proved to be a masterstroke.

From the outside, it feels like City need to keep playing the way they have, sticking to the methods that got them promoted. But there needs to be an element of pragmatism added to the mix, knowing that City won’t get it all their own way back in the top flight.

Stop set-pieces being the club’s downfall

This is a specific concern that needs addressing and will need to be a focus throughout the season. Simply put, City aren’t good enough at set-pieces still.