Can Martin Lift the Blues at Leicester?

Leicester City will play competitive football in the third tier of the English footballing pyramid for only the second time in their history. A dour 2025/26 campaign saw the foxes suffer a second consecutive relegation, their third in four years. 

Manager Gary Rowett presided over the final two-and-a-half months of the season following the sacking of Marti Cifuentes, now in League One the baton passes to ex-Rangers manager Russell Martin to get Leicester back on track with Rowett heading through the exit door.  

Opinions from the foxes faithful have been mixed to say the least following the confirmation that Martin had put pen-to-paper on a three-year deal. Many view his latter tenure at Southampton and highly publicised exit from Rangers as potential red flags prior to the start of the new season.

“The only thing I’m ever going to ask from the players, the staff and of myself , is to be all in and give everything, all of the time, when we are having to compete for the supporters, for the football club. If we do that, we have a real chance.” – Russell Martin.

Martin was sacked by the saints following a 5-0 defeat at Tottenham after winning only one of 16 matches prior to his December dismissal. Rangers then appointed Russell Martin in summer 2025 with the new boss receiving criticism for not adhering to the club tradition of wearing a suit on a matchday. 

Things didn’t work out for Martin as he would end up holding the unenviable record of being the shortest-serving manager in Rangers history at just 123 days, a 1-1 draw away to Falkirk sealed his fate and Martin was sacked leaving Rangers 8th in the table. 

Leicester’s off-field problems have been highly publicised with the club posting significant financial losses, points deducted last season by the EFL and fan protests at the running of the club becoming a regular event. Could this be a case of ‘out of the frying pan and into the fire’ for Russell Martin?