JibrinLeicester City grilled over reasoning behind Gary Rowett appointment – ‘It makes no sense’
Leicester City are closing in on the appointment of Gary Rowett to succeed Marti Cifuentes, with the 51-year-old out of work since just before Christmas after departing Oxford United.
The Foxes are staring at the possibility of relegation for the second consecutive season, but Rowett is in advanced negotiations to join Leicester and secure survival in 2025/26. They currently sit 22nd in the Championship.
Leicester’s run of results is dismal and their next five fixtures are equally daunting when compared to their relegation rivals. However, Leicester are only inside the bottom three due to a six-point deduction.
They also boast plenty of talent in their squad, with Jordan James and Abdul Fatawu impressing this campaign. There are also numerous ex-Premier League players to lean on, who are capable of far better than they have demonstrated this season.
The Leicester City verdict on Gary Rowett
FLW’s Leicester fan pundit Louchlainn Martin was asked for his take on whether he is the man to keep Leicester up, or if this is another poor decision from Khun Top and Jon Rudkin.
He said: “So Gary Rowett to Leicester City looks like it’s happening. What are my thoughts on this? Well, I’ve kind of got two ways of looking at this.
“I think, if you look at the profile of manager and the pragmatic football and that he’s a bit of a man-manager, then I think it’s probably the right decision.
“I think he’s probably one of our best hopes at trying to stay up this season and to try to survive relegation. You know, I do think we had to go for this type of manager, rather than a ‘project’ manager — if you like.
“My real negative about this is that Gary Rowett has been out of a job since December. There is no reason why, if Rowett was a name near the top of the list, why we couldn’t have got him two weeks ago.
“Two weeks ago, within days of Marti Cifuentes leaving. It makes no sense. It has taken over three weeks to hire a manager who has been out of work for two months.
“So that is where my frustration is with the situation. We have let four games pass us by. Four games, zero wins, zero draws, four losses.
“You just never know how different that could have been, had we had a different manager in earlier. We could have been outside of the relegation zone. Whereas, as it stands, we are well in it.”
Leicester City’s 2026/27 prospects if Gary Rowett ensures survival
Rowett kept Oxford up in a similar scenario last season and previous stints with Birmingham City and Millwall have been fruitful in overachieving. However, Leicester fans may not be thrilled with the latest link.
On paper, the squad he has to work with is vastly superior to at least any of the bottom nine in the division — and possibly beyond even that. There’s no reason almost any other manager, and a fresh voice in the dressing room, cannot turn things around.
Cifuentes was surprisingly underwhelming but Rowett understands the division and what it requires to beat the drop. Realistically, Leicester’s campaign should have been much more than this and pushing for promotion.
But survival this season could see a shift in fortunes next term, especially with the quality at their disposal. In the short-term, Rowett could be the link for the Foxes to reach a point where they can rebuild in 2026/27.
Jibrin
