Leicester City sacked Marti Cifuentes on Sunday following a 2-1 home defeat to relegation-threatened Oxford United, a result which left the Foxes 14th in the Championship, six points adrift of the play-off places and still looking for consistency in their first season back in the second tier.
Cifuentes departs the King Power Stadium having overseen 31 matches across all competitions, recording 11 wins, eight draws and 12 defeats, with a promising start to his tenure ultimately giving way to a prolonged downturn in results.
With Andy King placed in interim charge, attention has already turned towards potential long-term replacements, and Gary Rowett and Derek McInnes have both been linked with the vacancy as Leicester weigh up their next move.
Rowett is one of the more experienced options under consideration, having spent a year in charge of Oxford United between December 2024 and 2025 before being dismissed with the club sitting 21st in the Championship.
Oxford have since slipped further into trouble, although Rowett had previously helped the U’s avoid relegation in their first season back in the division for 25 years during the 2024/25 campaign.
The 51-year-old has an extensive track record at Championship level, with managerial spells at Birmingham City, Millwall, Derby County and Stoke City, amounting to over 350 games in the division.
His reputation for organising sides and steadying difficult situations could appeal to Leicester, given their current league position and off-field challenges.
Rowett also has a past connection with the Foxes from his playing days, having joined the club from Birmingham City in 2000. He went on to make 57 appearances for Leicester before departing in 2002.
McInnes has also been mentioned as a possible option, though any move for the Scot would appear far more complicated.
The 54-year-old was currently in charge of Hearts, leading the Edinburgh club’s push for the Scottish Premiership title, with his side sitting four points clear at the top of the table following a 2-2 draw with Celtic.
McInnes signed a four-year contract at Tynecastle Park last May, committing his future to the club and pledging to deliver silverware.
McInnes has built a strong reputation north of the border through spells with St Johnstone, Aberdeen and Kilmarnock, consistently putting together competitive teams.
His only experience in the Championship came during a mixed spell with Bristol City between 2011 and 2013, which ended with relegation ironically sealed by a 4-0 defeat to Leicester on the final day of the season.
Given Hearts’ position and McInnes’ long-term contract, Leicester could find it difficult to lure him away mid-season, despite their stature and infrastructure.
Former Wales, Sunderland and Fulham boss Chris Coleman has emerged as a surprise contender for the vacant Leicester City manager’s job, according to a report by Football Insider’s Pete O’Rourke.
The 55-year-old is well known to the Leicester ownership following his time working at their sister club OH Leuven in Belgium, where he was dismissed in June 2025 despite successfully guiding the club clear of relegation in his first season after taking over when they were third-bottom of the Belgian Pro League.
The Foxes are understood to hold King in high regard and see him as a potential future manager, viewing the current period as an important step in his coaching development.
As a result, Coleman is considered an ideal candidate due to his experience and his long-standing relationship with King from their time together with the Welsh national team, where Coleman remains highly respected for his achievements.
Although Coleman’s last role in English football came with Sunderland in 2018, where he was unable to prevent relegation after replacing Simon Grayson, his reputation has remained strong.
Coleman is currently free and available after leaving Greek side Asteras Tripolis earlier this month and is believed to be open to working alongside King in a mentoring capacity.
Any move to appoint Coleman would be made with a long-term vision in mind, as Leicester look to stabilise their season and push up the Championship standings while laying the foundations for King’s future in management.
Whoever Leicester ultimately appoint will inherit a challenging situation. The club are operating under tight financial constraints, having spent very little during the summer due to PSR concerns, and are expected to be restricted to loan signings in January. There is also the possibility of a number of first-team departures, with players such as Harry Winks understood to be assessing their futures.
Speaking on talkSPORT, chief football correspondent Alex Crook suggested Cifuentes’ failure should be viewed in a wider context:
“Only Sheffield Wednesday, subject to a transfer embargo, spent less than Leicester in the summer.”
“They’ve got players on Premier League wages who think they should still be playing in the Premier League. It’s the latest manager to struggle at Leicester, and I think the people in the boardroom also need to be questioned.”
Fan frustration had already been evident earlier in the campaign, with extra security required around the directors’ box during November’s home defeat to Sheffield United, and while Cifuentes initially survived that backlash, the loss to Oxford ultimately brought his time at the club to an end.
Leicester’s links to Rowett, McInnes and Coleman point towards a desire for experience and stability, as the Foxes look to halt their slide and re-establish themselves as a promotion contender in what has proven to be a far from straightforward return to the Championship.
