JibrinLeicester City are in discussions over their managerial vacancy, exploring options to stabilize the club with a short-term appointment.
The club is considering a highly experienced figure from the Championship to take the reins until the end of the season in a bid to keep the team in the division.
According to reports, he has emerged as the leading candidate to step in at the King Power Stadium, with a deal that could see him guide the side through the remainder of the campaign.
Sources indicate the 51-year-old is among those who have been approached regarding the open managerial position, with the search now stretching to 22 days—the longest in King Power ownership history.
If confirmed this week, his first fixture in charge would see him face one of his former clubs, Stoke, on Saturday afternoon.
He brings extensive Championship experience, having managed five clubs and overseen more than 400 league matches with Birmingham, Derby, Millwall, Stoke, and Oxford.
A former Leicester full-back with over 50 appearances in the early 2000s, he is widely regarded for his ability to organize a defense. His teams have kept clean sheets in 34% of his matches in the Championship.
City, by contrast, are currently enduring a run of 26 games without a shutout and hold the second-worst defensive record in the league.
The potential appointment may surprise some, given his recent criticism of the club hierarchy.
“They haven’t been in brilliant form,” he told Sky Sports. “I think they’ve been very, very inconsistent this season, with the squad that they’ve got you’d expect more, so obviously nothing’s perfect there in terms of the chemistry.
“I think the next step for Leicester has to be the right step for them because you can’t go from winning the Premier League to being in League One in a matter of a few seasons, that is very, very poor management, so they’ve got a big month coming up, I believe. I think they’ll be fine but I think they’ve got a big month coming up.”
Ahead of the Southampton league clash, he added: “I’ve got to be honest, they are a tough next six fixtures.
“The only thing you would say is with a squad like Leicester, if they can find the balance right within the team, if they can find that little bit of form, they’re capable of winning every one of those games. I’m not suggesting their previous form is going to do that.
“I think they’ll make a change as well, managerial wise. I think they’ll be really ambitious with their next appointment. If they are in the top six, I think it’s a very different appeal to the job.
“But when you look at their training ground, when you look at the size of the club, I think there’ll be a hell of a lot of managers who’ll be looking at that job thinking ‘I can get them out of trouble’.
“Then it’s what’s next for that opportunity and I don’t think there’s many jobs come around like that in the Championship. That’s why I’m saying I think there’ll be a really ambitious appointment for the next one and I’d expect them to make that quite soon.”
The man Leicester City are now close to appointing is Gary Rowett, the former City full-back and ex-Birmingham, Stoke, Millwall, Derby, and Oxford manager, who could take over on a short-term deal to steer the club clear of relegation.
Jibrin
