JibrinGary Rowett as Leicester City manager would provide a season-shifting lift but squad doubts remain
The former Birmingham, Derby and Millwall boss has emerged as the leading contender to take charge at the King Power Stadium as the hunt for Marti Cifuentes’ replacement enters its 23rd day.
Gary Rowett is now the favourite for the Leicester City role after discussions over the vacant managerial post.
But what would City gain if their former full-back is handed the reins? Here’s a deeper examination.
Extensive Championship pedigree
Since the Championship was rebranded in 2004-05, only four managers – Neil Warnock, Tony Mowbray, Mick McCarthy and Ian Holloway – have overseen more matches in the division than Rowett. With none of them currently managing in the second tier, it would mean City would boast the most seasoned manager in the league in their technical area.
Overall, Rowett has taken charge of 418 Championship fixtures across five clubs and has been a near-constant presence at this level for over a decade.
He owns a points-per-game average of 1.46 in the division. Replicating that return across City’s remaining 14 fixtures would deliver 20 points, lifting them to 52 for the campaign — a total that would probably secure survival.
A potentially decisive defensive uplift
Across those 418 Championship matches, Rowett’s teams have recorded 142 clean sheets, better than one in every three games. That is particularly relevant given City’s defensive struggles.
They not only hold the second-poorest goals conceded record in the division, but are also enduring a sequence of 26 league matches without a clean sheet, stretching back to September.
Defensive injuries mean centre-back Ben Nelson is expected to feature in the upcoming fixtures. Yet even if Jamaal Lascelles and Jannik Vestergaard were available, the 21-year-old would stand a strong chance of retaining his place due to his previous spell working under Rowett on loan at Oxford last season.
Nelson returned from injury towards the end of the campaign and made nine appearances under Rowett as Oxford preserved their Championship status.
After Nelson scored and kept a clean sheet in a 2-0 win over Sunderland in late April that sealed survival, Rowett said: “I would say I thought Ben Nelson in particular was absolutely outstanding. He showed the potential which he’s got, which is to be a Premier League centre-half.
“I’d love to turn round and say we might be able to have a chance of keeping him, but I think the reality is he’s going to go to a bigger club.
“He’s probably going to end up playing for Leicester’s team if he’s not playing for a Premier League team next season. He’s got a bright future ahead of him.”
Doubts over squad compatibility
Rowett would represent a shift from the profile City traditionally pursue in a manager, given his teams’ tendency not to dominate possession.
City have typically preferred a boss who coaches control of the ball, with chairman Aiyawatt ‘Top’ Srivaddhanaprabha suggesting Enzo Maresca was his ideal type of manager in his recent round of interviews.
But Rowett does not fit that mould. Across his five complete Championship seasons, his Birmingham side finished bottom for possession in 2015-16, his Derby team ranked 16th in 2017-18, while his three full campaigns at Millwall between 2020 and 2023 saw them place 17th, 17th and 19th for possession.
It raises questions about how that philosophy would align with City’s current squad, which has largely been assembled to dominate the ball, with players such as Harry Winks central to that approach.
As recently as this week, interim manager Andy King spoke about urging the team not to slip into “survival mode” and abandon their intent to pass and retain possession.
However, with the likes of Stephy Mavididi, Patson Daka and Abdul Fatawu, City possess the pace in forward areas to operate effectively on the counter — something glimpsed in the opening half of last week’s home defeat to Southampton.
Dismissed by relegation rivals Oxford
There are likely to be concerns among supporters about the potential appointment of a manager who was judged not to be the right fit by one of their relegation competitors.
Following a run of one victory in 10 that left Oxford in the relegation zone, two points from safety, Rowett was relieved of his duties at the Kassam Stadium shortly before Christmas.
Since his exit, Oxford have collected nine points from 10 matches, and six from seven under new head coach Matt Bloomfield, leaving them 23rd in the table, five points adrift of safety.
Jibrin
