Leicester City Set to Appoint Gary Rowett as Head Coach Amidst Championship Struggles

omidbasir- Leicester City, currently grappling with relegation woes in the Championship, is expected to appoint former player Gary Rowett as their new head coach. According to reports from BBC Radio Leicester, the 51-year-old, who was dismissed from his role at Oxford United two months ago, has already conducted training sessions on Wednesday.

Rowett is set to take over permanently after the departure of Marti Cifuentes, who was let go three weeks prior. Leicester currently finds itself in a precarious position, sitting third from the bottom in the Championship, just two points away from safety with 14 matches remaining in the season.

Having spent two years with Leicester after transferring from Birmingham City in 2000, Rowett brings a wealth of experience to the role. His managerial career includes stints at five different clubs in the Championship—Birmingham City, Derby County, Stoke City, Millwall, and most recently, Oxford United, where he was in charge for nearly a year before his dismissal in December 2025.

Rowett’s tenure at Oxford was marred by an underwhelming performance, managing only one win in ten games, leading to his eventual sacking.

Cifuentes’ time at Leicester ended amid disarray, as the club has lost all four of its games under interim coach Andy King since his departure. Compounding their troubles, Leicester has also faced a six-point deduction due to violations of spending regulations following a lengthy legal dispute.

This points penalty, combined with a seven-game winless streak that includes six defeats, has pushed Leicester into the relegation zone. The situation worsened over the weekend when the East Midlands club fell into the bottom three, as Blackburn Rovers surpassed them in the standings after defeating Queens Park Rangers, while Leicester was eliminated from the FA Cup by Southampton.