Leicester City manager news: Chris Coleman wanted, Gary Rowett & Derek McInnes links, Russell Martin move | OneFootball

FLW rounds-up the latest news in the Foxes search to replace Marti Cifuentes.

Leicester City are on the hunt for a new boss after parting ways with Marti Cifuentes last weekend.

The Spaniard was relieved of his duties after just six months in charge at the King Power Stadium, with a 2-1 home loss to Oxford United his final game, as the club suffered an 11th defeat of the campaign.

The former Queens Park Rangers boss leaves Leicester 14th in the Championship standings, taking 38 points from their 29 second-tier games.

There is also a fear that Leicester could be sucked into a relegation battle given their struggles with PSR compliance. They await a legal verdict which began in November 2025 to determine whether the club will be hit with a hefty points deduction.

With baring all this in mind, the Leicester hierarchy is keen to change the club’s fortunes and get them pushing up the table, so if a points deduction does arrive, they still have their Championship status intact and can build towards a Premier League return once this financial storm has blown over.

At the moment, there is little to suggest Leicester are close to finalising an appointment, but there has been some movement as to who the Foxes may consider.

Here at FLW, we have rounded up the latest news on Leicester’s managerial hunt.

Leicester City plot Chris Coleman move

As per a report by Football Insider’s Pete O’Rourke, former Wales, Sunderland and Fulham boss Chris Coleman is under consideration to take over at Leicester City.

In what is a shock name to enter the race, Coleman is familiar with the Leicester ownership due to his time working for their sister club OH Leuven in Belgium, before being dismissed in June 2025.

With first-team coach Andy King placed in interim charge, Leicester have high hopes and see him as a future manager, so they believe Coleman would be a perfect mentor for him given their long-standing partnership together with the Welsh national team.

Coleman is available after leaving Greek outfit Asteras Tripolis earlier this month, and is understood to be interested in working alongside King to help push Leicester up the Championship standings over the coming months.

Gary Rowett and Derek McInnes emerge as targets for Leicester City

Leicester City are reportedly considering both Gary Rowett and Derek McInnes as potential replacements for Marti Cifuentes.

That is according to Daily Mail journalist, Matt Barlow, with the Foxes now looking for their fifth permanent manager since winning the Championship title under Enzo Maresca in the 2023-24 term.

The report states that the Leicester hierarchy are on the lookout for an experienced figure to oversee matters, with Rowett certainly fitting that bill after earning a wealth of experience in the EFL both as a manager and player.

The former Oxford United boss was dismissed two days before Christmas, but did a wonderful job to keep them up on their return to the Championship in 2024-25, while he also had spells at Millwall, Birmingham City, Derby County and Stoke City.

Meanwhile, Derek McInnes is also being considered for the vacancy as a result of his experience and recent success in Scotland. The 54-year-old is currently overseeing a title charge with Hearts in the Scottish Premiership, as the Edinburgh outfit remain the out in front ahead of Celtic and Rangers.

McInnes has earned a strong reputation in his managerial career in Scotland through spells at St Johnstone, Aberdeen, Kilmarnock and now Hearts, while his only spell in the Championship came with Bristol City between 2011 and 2013.

Leicester City also eyeing Russell Martin as potential Foxes boss

As the shortlist of targets grows for the vacant Leicester City job, the Foxes are reportedly considering Russell Martin for the post at the King Power Stadium too.

This comes from a report by Football Insider, who say that Martin “ticks a lot of boxes” for the Leicester hierarchy in their search.

The former Southampton boss is believed to be ready to take on a new job, and the Leicester position could see him make a return to the Championship since he steered the Saints back to the top-flight.

Following his sacking from Southampton in December 2024 after just 16 top-flight games in charge, a trip to Scotland to manage giants Rangers resulted in Martin being the club’s shortest-serving permanent boss in their 153-year history.

With a couple of real low moments in the past year, Martin needs an opportunity to reestablish himself, and returning to the Championship could be exactly what he needs given his previous success in it.

The 40-year-old would certainly pull no punches when it comes to taking over such an underachieving squad, and you feel that kind of honesty and toughness is exactly what the club needs to help them battle out of the current position they find themselves in.