Latest news with #MartiCifuentes
Daily Mail
5 days ago
- Sport
- Daily Mail
Leicester City transfer briefing: The truth about compensation paid for Marti Cifuentes, the two first-team regulars allowed to leave and the latest on Bilal El Khannouss' future
And breathe. Finally, Leicester City have a manager – though sadly for the Foxes, that is just the first piece of the jigsaw. Marti Cifuentes joins a club who must reduce their high wage bill dramatically and who will almost certainly suffer a points deduction. When, they do not know, although Leicester would love to have the answer before the Championship campaign starts in less than a month.
Glasgow Times
6 days ago
- Sport
- Glasgow Times
Rangers get good news and bad in Conor Coady pursuit
The Ibrox club have been working on a deal to bring the central defender, 32, in from Leicester but it has been dragging on. The England cap is believed to want the move and had been keen to sit out his club's pre-season training camp in Austria to be able to accelerate it. However, the Daily Record is reporting that Leicester have failed to grant him his wish and he has had to travel. The English Championship are said to have opened talks with a potential replacement for Coady but the former Everton loanee remains under contract so has been obligated to travel with new manager Marti Cifuentes and his squad. Read more: Russell Martin must register his squad for the Champions League qualifiers today, with the first leg against the Greeks on Tuesday. That means it is looking highly unlikely things will start moving fast enough with Coady for him to be included in that initial list. One saving grace could be the fact that a loophole allows for two additional players to be added until 24 hours before kick-off. However, if the Englishman cant be registered before that, he would also miss the second leg. Rangers have already signed central defenders Nasser Djiga, on loan from Wolves, and Emmanual Fernandez, permanently from Peterborough, in this window and want Coady as part of a revamped backline. Full-back Max Aarons has also come in on loan from Bournemouth. Robin Propper is on the verge of departing for his old club FC Twente, if financial differences can be resolved.
BBC News
16-07-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
'Cifuentes will need a magic wand'
We asked you what you thought of Marti Cifuentes' appointment as the new manager of Leicester City, as well as the timing of his arrival and what you expect to see from the Spaniard at the King Power Stadium as the Foxes aim to make an immediate return to the Premier is what you had to say: Jonathan: Even Harry Potter would struggle to get things sorted at the KP in the time left before the season starts! All catastrophically slow this summer. Who's staying? Who's coming in? Who's the best player in each position? What's our best starting eleven? And many more questions to be asked and answered. Is anyone at the top (pardon the pun) going to take responsibility for the glacial pace of change this summer?Steve: After the worst performing season in my club's history, mismanagement and indecision from the board, and no explanation why it's taken so long, I'm expecting nothing from Cifuentes. Little success as a manager, working now for peanuts, and zero evidence of past loyalty. He'll be gone before the end of 2025. Hope he's got a magic wand!Martyn: Most Foxes fans seem to be moaning about it. I'm actually quite optimistic. He did well at QPR under difficult circumstances, trying to play attractive football. A year to rebuild and I think he could do well for The last time we belatedly appointed a new manager was Claudio Ranieri... we all know what happened I'm actually fairly optimistic about this appointment. He offers the flexibility to deal with any of the situations we might face - from promotion races to points deductions and relegation fights! My only gripe, like for many fans, is why it took so long and why no change at the top of the Cifuentes got Leicester promoted without being our manager back in 2024 when QPR beat Leeds to secure Leicester's promotion, and now he will do the same again but this time as our gaffer. That's not a prediction, that's a I would say that he looks a good manger, but also I want him to bring some new players into the team to strengthen at the Time for a dose of realism for us City fans, the club's in a mess. A few seasons back the job attracted the best, now it's become a bit of a poisoned chalice, financial and points deduction uncertainty etc. At least he wants the job, need to get behind him and hope for a good One word. The last time City appointed an ex-QPR manager, we ended up in League One. History does have a habit of repeating itself!Lindsay: Promotion, no. Stability, yes. He needs to turn this team around and prepare them for a challenging season ahead. Bring through the youth and give them the game time, and build the confidence and experience to maintain their position in the Championship at a high level. Then push for promotion in future I'm OK with this. I wasn't excited about the other names floating around and he does like to play attacking football and has some experience in the Championship. May as well get behind him. Why not?Carl: A fan since 1969 through thick and thin but no longer. Lack of communication and respect with fans. This is not Leicester City as I remember it. Get the owners out. My respect for them has gone!James: Let's not get carried away. Let him have a chance before everyone shoots him down. Hopefully, he'll get the basics right, keep us up and build from there. Anyone thinking we're bouncing straight back up needs to wake up. Let's take whatever points deduction comes our way, use our youth and build again. Stay up, that is the I'm just so glad we didn't appoint Chris Wilder. The club now needs to back the manager with some funds to buy key players. I'd be happy with a season of consolidation - let's not put too much pressure on the team!
Yahoo
16-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Latest managerial vacancy filled as Leicester confirm new boss
The only managerial vacancy in the Championship has been filled as Marti Cifuentes takes charge at Leicester City. Cifuentes replaces Ruud van Nistelrooy in the dugout at the King Power Stadium ahead of the upcoming campaign. Advertisement The 43-year-old Spaniard returns to the Championship following his departure from Queens Park Rangers, which was made official last month after being placed on gardening leave. 'It's a great honour to be appointed Leicester City manager,' he told the club site. 'This is a fantastic club with a proud history and it's a privilege to me to be asked to help write the next chapter. 'I'm looking forward to getting to know the players, as well as connecting with our supporters and the city in the weeks and months ahead. I can see the passion that exists here, and I'm excited to begin this journey together.' Leicester won the Championship title in 2023/24 under Enzo Maresca, who left the following summer to join Chelsea. Advertisement Steve Cooper was the man in the dugout at the start of last season but only lasted 12 games before he was axed - even though the Foxes were above the relegation zone at that stage. Van Nistelrooy took charge last November following a positive stint as interim boss at Manchester United. However, he couldn't keep Leicester in the top flight. The Dutchman only won five of his 27 games in the hot seat, losing 19. The club has now handed a three-year deal to Cifuentes, who kept QPR in the division in 2023/24 before finishing 15th last term. 'We're delighted to welcome Martí to Leicester City,' chairman Aiyawatt Srivaddhanaprabha added. 'His energy, ambition and clarity of ideas stood out throughout the recruitment process. Advertisement 'We felt strongly that bringing him to the club would help us to create the success we all want in the years ahead. 'Martí is an excellent fit for our Football Club - his personal and coaching qualities will be vital to building an identity our fans will be able to see reflected in their team on the pitch.'
New York Times
16-07-2025
- Business
- New York Times
Welcome to Leicester City, Marti Cifuentes – now here's what needs sorting
Welcome to the party, Marti Cifuentes. Leicester City's summer of drift has taken a step towards stability with the appointment of the Spaniard as manager. Cifuentes, 43, was Queens Park Rangers head coach since October 2023 and has his work cut out to lift the gloom. Relegated Leicester took an age to relieve Ruud van Nistelrooy of his duties amid a backdrop of potential sanctions for an alleged breach of profitability and sustainability rules. Oh, the Championship season starts in less than a month. Here, The Athletic breaks down the biggest challenges facing Cifuentes. There are 27 senior professionals on the books, plus a talented crop of academy graduates. The first task is to move on players with any market value or who are deemed surplus to requirements. Goalkeeper Mads Hermansen and playmaker Bilal El Khannouss will attract interest and bring in decent sums, but Leicester will be desperate to shift the high earners and underperformers, such as Wout Faes, Conor Coady and Boubakary Soumare. Advertisement But director of football Jon Rudkin does not have a good selling record of late, with Youri Tielemans, Caglar Soyuncu, Ayoze Perez and Kelechi Iheanacho leaving for free at the end of their contracts. Having previously sold one big asset each summer in the likes of Riyad Mahrez and Harry Maguire and reinvesting wisely, Leicester's transfer policy in the past few years has been below par. Kasper Schmeichel, Harvey Barnes and James Maddison brought in lower-than-anticipated fees while 2023-24 player of the season, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, moved to Chelsea for £30million ($40.2m at the current exchange rate) last July. Leicester may still get mileage out of long-serving trio James Justin, Ricardo Pereira and Wilfred Ndidi while it looks like they will be stuck with last summer's thirty-something signings Jordan Ayew and Bobby De Cordova-Reid for another year. Leicester have a wealth of academy promise, with their Seagrave training facility paying dividends almost five years after opening. Should Hermansen depart, Jakub Stolarczyk, 24, appears a more than able successor, while 21-year-old centre-back Ben Nelson is well thought of and impressed during 16 starts on loan at Oxford United in the Championship last season. Many Leicester fans hope he forms a partnership with Caleb Okoli. There is a potentially dazzling array of talent going forward. Will Alves, 20, spent the second half of last season on loan at eventually-relegated Cardiff City after making his top-flight debut and representing England in three youth age groups. Jeremy Monga became the second-youngest player in Premier League history when he made his debut at 15 years and 271 days old against Newcastle United in April. Both are touted for big seasons. Louis Page, 17, scored twice in the 3-1 win against League One Peterborough United that began Leicester's pre-season on July 5 while winger Jake Evans, 16, made his first-team debut last season. Add in 18-year-old Olabade Aluko, Silko Thomas, 21, and Michael Golding, a 19-year-old signed from Chelsea last July, and Leicester have a nucleus of talent they believe Cifuentes — who has a track record in developing players — can nurture. Advertisement Abdul Fatawu, a standout in the 2023-24 Championship title-winning campaign alongside Stephy Mavididi on the opposite flank, missed the majority of his first Premier League campaign due to a November anterior cruciate ligament knee injury but will hope to pick up where he left off. Leicester are also preparing for life after the departure of their greatest player. Jamie Vardy spent 13 seasons at the club, scoring 200 goals in 500 games, helping them win the Premier League, FA Cup, Community Shield and two Championship titles. He won the Premier League's Golden Boot in the 2019-20 season and played 26 times for England. He managed three league goals in 37 appearances in 2022-23, when Leicester went down despite having the seventh-highest wage bill in the country, but struck 18 times in 35 games as they bounced straight back up. Vardy, 38, managed a respectable nine goals and four assists in his 35 league matches last season. With those two relegations from the Premier League in the past three seasons, it could be argued that his departure was overdue but City never managed to complement or replace their No 9. Patson Daka was heralded as his successor. There were lofty expectations for the Zambia international after his arrival in summer 2021 after scoring 68 times in 125 games for Red Bull Salzburg, but despite scoring all four goals in a 4-3 defeat of Spartak Moscow in the following season's Europa League, he has only netted 23 times. Vardy's dependability meant the 26-year-old never had a run of games (only 61 of his 121 appearances have been starts), but it is now or never for Daka. One of the biggest criticisms of Leicester's board is the lack of consistency in their managerial appointments. Brendan Rodgers delivered two fifth-placed finishes (although they were in the Champions League places as the final day of the season began in 2020 and 2021), the FA Cup and Community Shield, but his sacking with 10 games to go in 2022-23 came too late. Advertisement Dean Smith was his successor after a fateful two-match spell with Mike Stowell and Adam Sadler in interim charge (Leicester lost both, and finished two points short of safety) but could not save them from the drop. The ownership looked to have struck gold that summer when they appointed Enzo Maresca, who led Leicester back to promotion, although there was still criticism from a section of the fanbase about the Italian's slow, possession-based system. There was sympathy for those in charge when Maresca left for Chelsea, taking Dewsbury-Hall with him — the pair have gone on to win the Conference League and Club World Cup. But the appointment of Steve Cooper, recently manager of local rivals Nottingham Forest, was not well received. Leicester were outside the relegation zone when Cooper was sacked in November after 12 Premier League games. Squad members were then pictured with a sign saying 'Enzo I miss u' during their pre-Christmas outing in Copenhagen. Van Nistelrooy was Cooper's replacement, having beaten Leicester twice in his four games as Manchester United's caretaker manager, but the appointment failed. City set a top-flight record as they failed to score in nine consecutive home games and were relegated with five matches to play. Cifuentes will be expected to implement a similar possession-based system to Maresca. That task will be different from the one he faced at QPR as Leicester will be expected to force the issue. The success of Maresca's side was built on a solid base — they conceded 41 times in 46 games, keeping 15 clean sheets. Leicester found the step up in divisions impossible as they shipped 80 in 38 league matches. Who plays in goal may be a decision taken out of Cifuentes' hands if Hermansen is sold but Justin, Coady, Faes and Victor Kristiansen all struggled in the back four last season, and all may well be moved on too. Luke Thomas did well at left-back despite the team's poor form and could be first choice. Advertisement Australia international centre-back Harry Souttar has returned from a loan at Sheffield United, while centre-back Jannik Vestergaard and Harry Winks, who impressed at the base of Maresca's midfield, were frozen out by Van Nistelrooy. They must be moved on or reintegrated. With a potential points deduction coming for breaching financial rules, a fast start is a must for Cifuentes. (Top photos: Getty Images)
