Ranieri targeting future Champions League qualification

Leicester City manager Claudio Ranieri wants to bring Champions League football to the King Power Stadium and is prepared to be patient to achieve the goal.

Ranieri’s Leicester are second in the Premier League after 14 matches and have been the surprise team in the division so far this year, having survived a remarkable relegation fight last term.

The Italian boss, managing his 16th team, has had varying degrees of success during his lengthy managerial career and has lofty ambitions for Leicester.

“I came here for a challenge and I would love to stay here for a long, long time,” said Ranieri.

“I want us to get in the top four because to play in the Champions League would be fantastic but it has to be slowly, slowly.

“I want to play in Europe and I want my players to achieve this goal, but you have to build slowly. The fans can dream, but not us.

“Now is a very good time for us. Things are going really well and every manager wants the fans to be happy.”

The January transfer window offers teams the opportunity to bolster their squads with quality, but Ranieri sees no reason to dip into the market and risk unbalancing his side, with the players already performing at a high level.

“Do I intend bringing players in? At the moment, no. Why should I?” he said.

“This is a very good group as they are showing with their performances.

“I would be wary of upsetting the spirit and dynamic we have here. And anyway, if we’re still up there in a few weeks it means we are playing well, so why change?”