Leicester City are set to announce the appointment of Russell Martin as their new manager within the next 48 hours, according to reports.
The Foxes are gearing up for life in League One just 10 years after clinching their historic Premier League title in 2016. They dropped back into the Championship a year ago, beginning the campaign as one of the favourites to clinch promotion.
It proved to be a turbulent 12 months for the East Midlands-based outfit. Marti Cifuentes stepped into the dugout in place of Ruud van Nistelrooy, but the ex-Queens Park Rangers boss was dismissed following a 2-1 defeat against Oxford United in January.
It was a result which left them 14th in the Championship, but a six-point deduction for breaching EFL financial rules shortly after plunged them into a relegation scrap. The arrival of Gary Rowett on a short-term deal ultimately proved disastrous and their fate was sealed following a 2-2 draw with Hull City in April.
Martin Set For Management Return
Russell Martin has been consistently linked with the vacant managerial position at the King Power Stadium for a number of weeks. He is a long-term target for Leicester and the 40-year-old was thought to be in the running last summer.
The ex-Swansea City manager eventually moved north of the border with Scottish giants Rangers. His time at Ibrox was a short one and he was sacked just 17 games into his tenure after picking up just one league win and crashing out of the Champions League with an embarrassing 9-1 aggregate defeat to Club Brugge.
According to The Telegraph, Martin has now agreed a three-year deal with Leicester and an announcement is expected within the next 48 hours. This news has since been confirmed by journalist Fabrizio Romano.
A Huge Risk Or Shrewd Appointment?
There’s little doubt that Martin’s reputation took a severe knock after his ill-fated spell at Rangers. However, that hasn’t stopped him being linked with a number of roles in England over the past few months.
He appeared on the radar of Swansea after performing a stellar job at MK Dons, and his two-year stint in South Wales saw Southampton come knocking in 2023. He guided them back to the Premier League at the first time of asking after beating Leeds United in the 2024 play-off final, but was sacked in December of that year.
The former Scotland international will now drop down to League One to rebuild his career, but Leicester is still a huge task. They will be expected to get out of the division with relative ease and this is not a role where he is likely to be afforded the luxury of time or patience.
Leicester clearly feel they have the right man, hence the offering of a three-year deal. Therefore, this is a risk from both camps but one that all parties will be expecting to succeed.
