Latest news with #RuudVanNistelrooy
ITV News
4 days ago
- Sport
- ITV News
Marti Cifuentes is the new Leicester boss - is he the man for the moment or the man for the future?
There's little doubt that last season was a watershed moment for L eicester City and their fans. After much fanfare, a miserable return to the Premier League ended with relegation and with very little to celebrate. The Foxes have had five managers since 2023. Two relegations and one promotion and that tells you all you need to know about a club who will not want to yo-yo between the top two divisions in the country. So where are Leicester City now? Well as decent a man as Ruud Van Nistelrooy is and as eloquent as he was with the media, him being in charge did not work. When Ruud first came to Leicester, many were immediately sceptical, thinking that Steve Cooper should have been given more time. After all, he did get better results. But Cooper's tenure was perhaps more complicated than results show, and it's been reported that all was not well behind the scenes when he was at the King Power Stadium. The threat of a points deduction remains for Leicester and they now find themselves in the Championship, but without key players Jamie Vardy and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall who were instrumental in getting them promoted last time around. That promotion of course was masterminded by Enzo Maresca who left for Chelsea shortly after. With all of this in mind, Leicester have turned to former Queens Park Rangers boss Marti Cifuentes. The Spaniard left Loftus Road in June and he and Leicester will pay back some of the compensation he got when he left. The appointment may not have excited fans, but Leicester City believe that for the squad they have right now and for the situation they are in, Cifuentes is the ideal man for the job. Foxes fans at their most cynical will point towards Cifuentes being relatively cheap and willing to take on a huge project, but if we dig a little deeper, we can see the club's thinking behind the move. Cifuentes came into QPR with the club second bottom of the Championship but managed to steer them clear of relegation amidst difficult times at Loftus Road. Last season was even more difficult though and although he kept them up again, a decision was made to part ways. I understand Leicester liked both what they saw and his vision for the Foxes. For example, his style of play which is possession and positional based play is reminiscent of Maresca. He likes to attack with depth, width and pace. He filmed a tactical masterclass on YouTube about how to attack a mid block (a condensed group of defensive tactics and players in the middle of the pitch) that give us hints of his vision for the 'new' Leicester City. He also impressed with his man management skills and personable approach - at a time when the dressing room seemed at odds and fractured, this will surely be welcomed. The fact he's willing and able to work with a squad who are a range of ages and talents is also a big plus. Leicester City very much see Cifuentes as someone who can inspire and unify, bringing people together in what has been and could still be a really difficult period for the club. It's also understood that his coaching style is very hands-on when it comes to the training pitch, another key point for players, who in the last few years have had to pick up varying styles from different managers quickly with little success. That all being said, this season won't be easy. If you add in a points deduction, Leicester won't be automatically be the favourites to go straight back up. And yet there will still be that expectation from fans and within the club. As a past Premier League Champion with lofty ambitions, Leicester City simply cannot afford to linger in the Championship. There is talent in the squad, of that there is no doubt, and players like Jeremy Monga give hope for the future. The question is whether Cifuentes has what it takes to get everyone on board and believing in his vision. Leicester City have given him a two year deal, which could lead to three depending on performance, so they certainly think so. The man for the moment or the man for the future? We will find out.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Saints rivals Leicester confirm appointment of QPR manager as new boss
Leicester have appointed Marti Cifuentes as their new manager (Image: PA) CHAMPIONSHIP Leicester City have appointed Marti Cifuentes as their new manager, following his departure QPR at the end of last season. The Spaniard has been handed a three-year contract at the King Power Stadium, two weeks after delayed sacking of Ruud van Nistelrooy. Advertisement The 43 year old will be charged with taking the Foxes back to the Premier League following their relegation last season. However, Cifuentes could have to contend with a potential nine points deduction after the club's charge for breaching financial rules. 'It's a great honour to be appointed Leicester City manager,' he said. 'This is a fantastic club with a proud history and it's a privilege to me. '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. 'After speaking with (chairman) Khun Top, I can see the passion that exists here. I'm grateful to him for this opportunity and excited." Advertisement Leicester are expected to be among the teams fighting Saints for promotion to the Premier League, despite their financial difficulties. Cifuentes impressed in his 18-month stint at Loftus Road, where he kept Rangers up and then improved on their league position. The Foxes hierarchy have taken a liking to his style of play – similar to that of former boss Enzo Maresca – and his man-management.
New York Times
5 days ago
- Sport
- New York Times
Leicester appoint Marti Cifuentes to replace Ruud van Nistelrooy
Leicester City have appointed former Queens Park Rangers head coach Marti Cifuentes as Ruud van Nistelrooy's replacement. Leicester parted ways with Van Nistelrooy in June, a month after the conclusion of the Premier League season. Cifuentes was placed on gardening leave by QPR before the final game of the Championship season in April before leaving the club by mutual consent last month. Advertisement He joined QPR from Swedish club Hammarby in October 2023 and helped keep them up in both his seasons in charge, and has subsequently been replaced at Loftus Road by former Rennes head coach Julien Stephan. Van Nistelrooy only replaced Steve Cooper in November but managed to win just four of his 24 matches in charge as Leicester were relegated in April with five games to spare. The Leicester job was the Dutchman's first permanent managerial position since he left PSV Eindhoven at the end of the 2022-23 season. He had taken charge of former club Manchester United on an interim basis following the sacking of Erik ten Hag in October, winning three of four games, including twice against Leicester. Cooper took over last summer following Enzo Maresca's move to Chelsea but was sacked in November after just 12 Premier League games. Leicester begin the new Championship season at home to Sheffield Wednesday on August 10. Analysis by Jordan Halford Marti Cifuentes joins Leicester City just over 12 weeks since their relegation back to the Championship was confirmed and with the club amidst one of, if not, the most tumultuous period in their 141-year history. The 43-year-old arrives at the King Power with the club facing a potential points deduction and/or transfer embargo from the Football League (EFL) and the likelihood of having to offload several high earners if he is to make additions to his squad. Leicester are still reeling from their second relegation in three years, with plenty still needing to be sorted out just 31 days out from the start of the season against Sheffield Wednesday. The club still haven't released any of this season's kits. Leicester will begin life after Jamie Vardy, widely regarded as the club's greatest ever player, this season but the Spanish coach will, however, inherit a large bulk of the squad that won the Championship title in 2022-23 under Enzo Maresca. Advertisement Exciting young winger Abdul Fatawu is likely to return from his anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury that kept him out of the majority of his debut Premier League campaign, while the club have a sizeable crop of academy prospects such as Ben Nelson, Olabade Aluko, Will Alves, Jeremy Monga, Louis Page and Jake Evans who will be pushing for first-team football. ()
BBC News
5 days ago
- Sport
- BBC News
Cifuentes confirmed as Leicester manager
Leicester City have named former Queens Park Rangers head coach Marti Cifuentes as their new manager on a three-year 43-year-old Spaniard replaces Ruud van Nistelrooy at the Foxes' helm with less than a month until the season takes charge of a Leicester side that finds itself in the Championship for the second time in three years, having been immediately relegated from the Premier League after going up as second-tier title winners under Enzo Maresca in 2024. More to follow.
BBC News
10-07-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Leicester edging closer to Cifuentes appointment
Leicester City are closing in on the appointment of former QPR head coach Marti O'Neil and Chris Wilder were interviewed by the Foxes last week while there was also interest in Sheffield Wednesday manager Danny Rohl and ex-Middlesbrough boss Michael Cifuentes, who officially left QPR last month after being placed on gardening leave in April, is expected to be named as Ruud van Nistelrooy's replacement with Leicester likely to have to pay compensation for the QPR assistant Xavi Calm, who worked with Cifuentes at Loftus Road, could also join him at the King Power Stadium. Cifuentes had been in charge of QPR since October 2023, when he replaced Gareth Ainsworth with the club second bottom of the Championship before the 43-year-old guided them to sacked Van Nistelrooy in June after just six months in charge, the former Manchester United and Real Madrid striker winning just five of his 27 games as the Foxes were relegated from the Premier League last season. The timing of the decision allows them to include any severance for the Dutchman in next year's accounts, helping them comply with Profit and Sustainability regulations [PSR] having already axed Van Nistelrooy's predecessor Steve Cooper in November. Cifuentes will become Leicester's sixth manager in just over two years as they prepare for life in the Championship with the prospect of a points deduction after being charged with an alleged PSR breach.
