Kasper Schmeichel on Claudio Ranieri: Dane angrily denies knifing boss in the back just nine months after title triumph
Sponsored by
KASPER SCHMEICHEL has angrily denied knifing Claudio Ranieri in the back.
The Leicester stopper was at the centre of a player revolt - including skipper Wes Morgan, Marc Albrighton and Jamie Vardy - that cost the Italian his job.
A deafening 24-hour silence since Ranieri was axed emphasised the huge rift that grew in the ten months since their stunning Premier League triumph.
Keep up to date with ALL the Leicester City news, gossip, transfers and goals on our club page plus fixtures, results and live match commentary
But Schmeichel went on a charm offensive today to insist Foxes players held no influence over the club's board.
Asked about the players lobbying the owners to get Ranieri removed, he "There's absolutely not truth in that whatsoever.
"We are players and we can only affect on the pitch and we haven't done that.
"What happens above our heads at boardroom level is completely out of our control.
"What [caretaker] Craig [Shakespeare] said was that there was no meeting and that is completely true.
"All these reports about meetings, I don't know where they've come from."
Related Stories
asked Schmeichel about reports the players had "stabbed Ranieri in the back."
And the Danish international again tried to play down the influence of 'player power' in Ranieri's departure.
He added: "I'm as upset about these reports as anybody. They're deeply hurtful and for me to read these sort of things, it's absolutely ridiculous to think that any player in any squad has that type of influence and power.
"Look, I'm a footballer. I have absolutely no influence on these type of decisions or any other player has those types of influences.
"The owners do that, they have made tough decisions before, they've sacked managers before. We as players have to get on with it.
"Nobody wants to see anybody lose their job and I have nothing but the utmost respect and gratitude for what Claudio did at this club."
The Sun exclusively revealed Foxes stars had met with owners four times since December as the club slid towards the drop zone.
But while Schmeichel admitted the Thai owners had spoken to the players, he is adamant they were chatting about the weather and pitches rather than the under-fire boss.
He said: "What I can say is that our owners are very, very hands on. They are in and around the club and can only speak from my time but they have been here all time, they come to practically every game, the training ground and they speak to players regularly.
"You can't call it a meeting like we're talking right now. We talked to them about all manner of things from the weather to the pitches.
"But you've got to remember these guys are very successful businessman and have taken this club from the bottom of the Championship to the top.
"They're not going to influenced by players. We are footballers and we have a responsibility to perform and we haven't lived up to that.
"That's the blame that we take, but anything else is out of our control."
Ranieri - who has been swarmed with well-wishers - met the players today for an emotional farewell.
Schmeichel added: "Claudio came in and said his goodbyes and thanked the players for their efforts, thanked for last season.
"We achieved something amazing together, so it's sad that it's come to this. But as always he was very classy. Very humble, very gracious.
"When you share a moment like that together of course you feel sad that it's come to this and I'm sure Claudio feels the same.
"There were no problems at all, nothing. He thanked every single member of staff."