Championship strugglers Leicester appoint Rowett until end of season

Championship strugglers Leicester City have confirmed former player Gary Rowett as their new manager until the end of the season.

BBC Radio Leicester reported earlier that the 51-year-old, who was sacked as Oxford boss two months ago, took training at the Foxes on Wednesday.

Rowett replaces Marti Cifuentes, who was sacked three weeks ago and his first game in charge will be at Stoke City on Saturday.

Leicester are third from bottom in the Championship, two points adrift of the safety line with 14 games left.

“I’m really proud to be the new Leicester City manager and to have the opportunity to work with and lead a really talented group over the coming months,” Rowett told the club website.

“It’s very clear to us all what needs to be achieved between now and the end of the season and the work begins immediately.

“I’m looking forward to building connections with the players, with the staff at the club and with the fans – all of which will be vital to helping us secure the results we need.”

Rowett, who had two years as a Leicester player after joining from Birmingham City in 2000, has previously managed five clubs in the Championship.

He took charge of Birmingham, Derby County, Stoke, Millwall and most recently Oxford, where he had almost a year in charge before his dismissal in December 2025.

Leicester lost all four games under interim boss Andy King, and have also been docked six points in that time, having been found guilty of breaching spending rules after a protracted legal battle.

The points penalty, combined with a seven-game winless run that has included six defeats, has plunged Leicester into relegation trouble.

They dropped into the bottom three on Saturday, with Blackburn Rovers leapfrogging them by beating Queens Park Rangers while the Foxes were knocked out of the FA Cup by Southampton.

“Gary is a manager with deep knowledge of the Championship and experience of the situation we now face in these final 14 games of the season – a fight for survival in the division,” said Leicester chairman Aiyawatt Srivaddhanaprabha.

“It is a task on which the entire club is focused, and we will provide Gary with every support to help us find the solutions we need.

“I’m grateful to Andy King for the professionalism and dedication with which he has prepared the team for recent matches in challenging circumstances.