Leicester targeting Russell Martin upgrade in “unbelievable” 4-4-2 manager

Much like their fellow relegated foe in Southampton, Leicester City have found life back in the Championship this season to be extremely tough.

At the time of writing, the one-time Premier League winners find themselves stuck in a middle-of-the-road 14th position in the second tier, with three losses picked up from their last six league encounters, resulting in Marti Cifuentes being given the sack.

Some might say that dismissing the Spaniard is harsh, considering he was thrown into the deep-end at the King Power Stadium, with severe transfer restrictions stopping the Foxes in their tracks.

Regardless, it’s now up to the powers that be at Leicester to find a replacement that can help the East Midlands side mount a surge up the table, with some interesting names already floating about…

Rowett & Martin alternative emerges to replace Cifuentes

Foxes chairman Khun Top would lament his team’s inconsistent form before finally pulling the plug on Cifuentes, with the former Queens Park Rangers boss never quite able to string together a consistent run of wins.

Seeking to change that, Leicester could look to appoint Championship promotion winner Russell Martin, as he attempts to repair his managerial reputation, after an ego-crushing time in charge of Rangers.

As per Football Insider, Martin is judged to be an option that “ticks a lot of boxes”, with the out-of-work boss interested in taking over.

Gary Rowett could also be in the picture too, having been judged to be an early candidate for the vacancy by talkSPORT.

That has been corroborated by the Daily Mail, albeit with that report throwing up one of the more intriguing names being tipped to fill the vacancy, in Hearts boss Derek McInnes.

Indeed, the piece states that the Scotsman is being ‘considered’, as Leicester hunt down experience in the dug-out, having done a ‘stellar job’ with the Edinburgh side this season.

Why McInnes would be an upgrade on Martin

Of course, while the 40-year-old did only manage to secure a paltry five wins from 17 games in charge of the Glasgow giants, he does have an impressive record in the Championship, to fight back against his critics.

Indeed, Martin has a hefty 60 victories next to his name in the EFL’s elite division, from 138 games managed at the intense level, with a promotion up to the Premier League also on his CV, when getting the better of a heavily fancied Leeds United side 2-1 in a playoff final.

Still, is he the best man to turn around fortunes at Leicester right now, considering his bruising experience at Ibrox? Maybe not, with Martin also exiting the Saints job with zero wins collected from his last six games in charge.

While he appears to be a manager who struggles to get out of a slump, McInnes is a head coach figure who thrives when the going gets tough, having once been declared a “great man manager” to have on your side by ex-Hearts midfielder Derek Ferguson, which is just what Leicester needs to get out of their current moment of crisis.

As a result of McInnes’ expert management, in charge of various Scottish Premiership sides, the 54-year-old would lift the Scottish League Cup with Aberdeen in 2014, guide Kilmarnock to the dizzy heights of the Europa League in 2024, and he also has Hearts top of the table at this moment in time, in a division often dominated by the behemoths of Celtic and Rangers.

Safe to say, he has regularly succeeded when the pressure has been on his shoulders, unlike Martin, with ex-Gers striker Kris Boyd even hailing the job he did at Kilmarnock to be “unbelievable”, with his ex-side now stuck in a relegation battle in the SPL after his exit.

The jury will be out on whether he can be an instant success in the English game, having only picked up 17 second-tier wins during a short stint as Bristol City boss.

But, with a back-to-basics 4-4-2 approach proving to be effective across the majority of his managerial career, he will hope the same can be delivered at the King Power, with Martin’s pass-heavy philosophy not always working wonders.

It might not be the flashiest appointment, but having struggled to get going under Cifuentes – who is a manager very much in the same mould as Martin – thinking outside the box and landing the Paisley-born manager could be an inspired next decision.

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