Next Leicester City manager: Foxes in 'advanced talks' to appoint former 57-game defender as new boss

Leicester City are reportedly close to appointing Gary Rowett as their new manager.

The Foxes have been in the market for a successor to Mati Cifuenties for a number of weeks as they bid to avoid relegation from the Championship.

Former midfielder Andy King has been overseeing matters in the short term, only for his team to succumb defeat in four successive matches.

Furthermore, the East Midlands outfit have been handed a six-point deduction for breaching financial regulations, subsequently leaving the club in the bottom three of the Championship table.

According to The Telegraph, a preferred candidate has now been identified as they bid to establish some stability.

© Imago / IMAGO / PPAUK

Rowett on brink of Leicester job?

The report alleges that Rowett is in advanced talks with the Leicester hierarchy ahead of what appears to be a likely move to the King Power Stadium.

Rowett has been out of work since December, when his year-long spell at Oxford United came to an end after 50 games.

Should Rowett become the next Leicester manager, it would be on a contract until the end of the season.

He is no stranger to representing Leicester after making 57 appearances for the club between 2000 and 2002.

© Imago

Is Rowett what Leicester need?

Since initially impressing at Burton Albion between 2012 and 2014, Rowett has rarely been without an EFL job.

Across spells with six different clubs, the 51-year-old has racked up 590 matches, recording 232 wins in the process.

Nevertheless, Rowett's last interim spell as manager of Birmingham City at the end of 2023-24 ended in relegation to League One.

He also has a win percentage of less than 40% at his last four clubs, albeit that including a period where he won 76 of 196 games with Millwall.

With 14 matches remaining, Leicester are one point adrift of safety. Their last league success was a last-gasp 2-1 triumph over West Bromwich Albion on January 5.