Why Leicester City Sacked Marti Cifuentes — and the Deeper Crisis at the Club
Leicester City’s decision to sack head coach Marti Cifuentes on Sunday may have come as a shock in its timing, but not in its direction.
As BBC Radio Leicester commentator Owynn Palmer-Atkin noted, while the Sunday afternoon announcement surprised many supporters, Cifuentes’ eventual departure did not.
The 43-year-old Spaniard leaves with the club marooned in 14th place in the Championship following Saturday’s damaging 2–1 home defeat to lowly Oxford United — a match watched in person by chairman and owner Khun Top for the first time in months.
That loss underlined Leicester’s stuttering form and effectively ended hopes of an immediate return to the Premier League via automatic promotion.
Khun Top had earlier backed Cifuentes in a rare Sunday interview, insisting the coach “needed time” and “help, quickly”. A meeting soon followed, with a sense that Cifuentes might survive if he aligned with the ownership’s vision. That alignment, however, failed to materialise.
Speaking to BBC Radio Leicester, Khun Top admitted expectations had not been met.
“The way we are doing is not enough. The results are not good and no one expected Leicester to be in this position,” he said, conceding that the club’s initial promotion targets were already unrealistic. On the pitch, the statistics were damning.
Leicester managed back-to-back league wins just twice under Cifuentes. By comparison, during their last spell in the Championship, they were top at this stage and 31 points better off under Enzo Maresca, who later guided them to promotion before departing for Chelsea.
Now, in a season marking 10 years since their historic 5,000-1 Premier League title, this side ranks among the poorest Leicester teams of the past three decades.
The Foxes last had fewer points after 29 second-tier games in 2007-08 — a campaign that ended in relegation to League One.
Yet Cifuentes’ role in the decline is widely viewed as only part of a much bigger problem. Former Leicester striker Matty Fryatt told BBC Radio Leicester that the issues extend far beyond the dugout.
One individual close to Cifuentes claimed the coach was effectively working “with one hand tied behind his back”.
Financial constraints played a significant role. In an effort to comply with spending rules, Leicester sold key players including Mads Hermansen, Kasey McAteer, James Justin, Wilfred Ndidi and Conor Coady, while investing little in rebuilding the squad.
The club was one of only three in the Championship — alongside Oxford United and administration-hit Sheffield Wednesday — not to sign a player permanently in the summer.
Compounding matters was the failure to adequately replace Jamie Vardy, whose departure left a leadership and goalscoring void years in the making.
Leicester are also facing ongoing charges for alleged breaches of Profit and Sustainability Rules (PSR) from their 2024 promotion season, with the threat of a points deduction still looming. Those financial pressures heavily restricted the squad available to Cifuentes and continue to cloud the club’s immediate future.
Club legend Andy King has been placed in interim charge, with immediate responsibility falling on the former midfielder to steady a faltering campaign.
Leicester’s league record this season underlines the struggle, with 10 wins, 11 defeats and eight draws leaving them adrift of expectations.
Strengthening the squad during the remainder of the winter transfer window will not be straightforward, and there is growing concern that Leicester may soon find themselves battling relegation rather than promotion.
Whoever takes the reins next will inherit a club in deep transition, requiring extensive rebuilding both on and off the pitch — with the shadow of further sanctions still hanging over the King Power Stadium
