🦊⚽ The Post Horn Gallop #15 - Marti ends manager madness 🦊⚽
JUNE 11: Leicester finally appear to have ended their manager search with the appointment of Marti Cifuentes while work in the transfer market can now begin
🦊 Good morning everyone and welcome to the latest edition of the Post Horn Gallop. It appears that Leicester have finally picked the man that will replace Ruud van Nistelrooy for next season.
Pre-season is already well underway with a fixture against OH Leuven set to come this weekend. Before that, get updated on the latest news from the past week below:
*All information correct as of 10/07/2025*
Leicester set to appoint new boss - For more, go to The Dugout ⬇️
Vardy sees dream move fall through - For more, go to Transfers ⬇️
Two secret pre-season friendlies confirmed - For more, go to Fixture News ⬇️
Wonderkid explains season target - For more, go to The Dressing Room ⬇️
Last result: Leicester City 3-1 Peterborough United (Page 63’, 78’, Conn-Clarke 74’, S. Thomas 89’)
Next game: Leicester City vs OH Leuven (Seagrave Training Ground, July 12, 3pm KO)
THE DUGOUT
📝 - Leicester City are set to appoint ex-QPR boss Marti Cifuentes as their next manager. The Telegraph reported that he was a ‘strong contender’ for the role and he is now in advanced talks. Leicester will have to pay QPR £500k in compensation.
💰 - Meanwhile, Sky Sports suggest that Cifuentes is willing to shoulder a chunk of that compensation - and would effectively be taking a pay cut to move to the King Power Stadium. He has also been told that he may have to sell players before he can buy.
🤝 - Cifuentes’ assistant Xavi Calm is also in talks to join his compatriot in the East Midlands, as per Ben Jacobs.
😡 - Former Crystal Palace boss Simon Jordan has slammed Cifuentes as he edges towards his Leicester appointment. Listen to what he said on talkSPORT.
👍 - But Benjamin Bloom has taken a close look at the appointment. Watch his breakdown of Cifuentes’ potential arrival here on YouTube. Fan channel The Final Whistle also gave an insight into Cifuentes on their live broadcast.
🤔 - Cifuentes was not the only option though. The Independent report that Chris Wilder, Gary O’Neil, Michael Carrick and Bo Svensson were all among the contenders for the role.
❌ - Earlier this week, it appeared that ex-Wolves boss Gary O’Neil was among the frontrunners as reported by Sky Sports. But it was then reported by Football League World that he was no longer in the running.
😯 - There was also drama for another candidate - Sheffield Wednesday’s Danny Rohl. BBC Radio Sheffield report that he intended to return to the club amid hope of a takeover, but The Star suggest that not all at the Yorkshire club are convinced about Rohl re-taking the reins.
👋 - Away from the new manager, Van Nistelrooy’s previous goalkeeping coach Jelle ten Rouwelaar has left the club to join Brighton. Read the full press release here.
🗣️ - Interim boss Andy King has also been speaking about his work so far and reviewed Leicester’s pre-season win against Peterborough United. Read what he had to say here.
You can also watch the highlights from the game below:
TRANSFERS
🇮🇹 - Leicester icon Jamie Vardy has seen a move to Italian side Bologna fall through. According to La Repubblica, a deal was agreed only for Patrick Vieira to veto the transfer.
😈 - Links between Wilfred Ndidi and Manchester United will not go away. According to The Standard, the Red Devils explored a move 12 months ago, only to see him sign a new deal with Leicester. His friend Julius Aghahowa has claimed to Africa Foot that Ndidi is prioritising a switch to Old Trafford.
He said: “While Everton and Al-Ahli’s interest is obvious, Ndidi hopes to join Manchester United. He wants to take a step up by signing for a big club like Manchester United,
“It would be an excellent move for someone I consider one of the best African central midfielders of recent years. He’s powerful, capable of pressing, winning back balls, and creating space with his long diagonal runs.”
👀 - But Leicester remain in the running for ex-England star Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain. Haber Turk report that the Foxes and Burnley are keen to sign him, with Besiktas aiming to terminate his contract.
📝 - One man that Leicester won’t be signing is reported target Michael Keane. The defender has signed a new deal with Everton. Find out more here.
⭐ - Football Insider have reported that youngster Louis Page has turned down Leicester’s first offer of a professional contract, with clubs from Germany and Italy keeping tabs on him.
🆚 - Leicester are reportedly competing with Nottingham Forest for the signing of Inter Milan striker Pio Esposito. But according to FcInterNews, the Italian giants are going to rebuff all offers for the forward and want to keep him for next season.
❌ - Mexican side Club America turned down a loan offer from the Foxes for Emilio Lara, and are now set to send him to Necaxa. Read the full report from Martin del Palacio here.
🇧🇪 - Finally, sister club OH Leuven have completed the signing of striker Abdoul Karim Traore, who was previously linked with a move to Leicester.
FIXTURE NEWS
📅 - Leicester City are seemingly set to play two more pre-season friendlies later this month. Hungarian side ZTE have announced a clash at their home stadium on July 19. Meanwhile, the Foxes will also take on Ukrainian outfit FC Karpaty on July 25 in Austria. Read more here.
📺 - The EFL have confirmed that five of Leicester’s Championship fixtures across July and August have been rearranged for live TV coverage. That includes games against Charlton, Birmingham, Oxford United, Coventry and West Brom. Get all of the details here.
🏆 - Meanwhile, it has been confirmed that Leicester’s Carabao Cup clash with League One side Huddersfield will now take place on Wednesday, August 13. Find out more here.
THE DRESSING ROOM
🏃 - Leicester are continuing their pre-season preparations, with Ricardo Pereira, Luke Thomas and Will Alves all sharing behind-the-scenes insights with short day-in-the-life videos. Watch all of them here.
🗣️ - Speaking of Alves, he also gave an interview to LCFC and laid down his desire to earn a breakthrough into the first team over the coming campaign. Read more here.
📊 - Head of Fitness and Conditioning Matt Reeves also gave a fascinating insight into the testing that elite footballers go through to prepare themselves for the new campaign. Watch the full breakdown:
👐 - Goalkeeper Jakub Stolarczyk was also involved in a nice interview via the club and explained his desire to get back on the pitch following the summer break.
OTHER NEWS
🥴 - YouTuber Vizeh has published an in-depth video looking at ‘The Complete Failure of Leicester City’ in which he analyses the club’s current trajectory.
👎 - Speaking of which, the Foxes Trust has shared their results of a fan survey conducted this summer which revealed some shocking results. Read more information here.
🔢 - Leicestershire Live’s Josh Holland was on hand to analyse the Foxes’ win against Peterborough United last weekend, with Page and Jeremy Monga shining.
🏫 - Finally, we end with some excellent news: Leicester City have donated free football equipment to local schools. Find out more here.
🗣️ THE POST HORN GALLOP VIEW:
Well, after what was the worst kept secret in football of Van Nistelrooy’s exit - and potentially the longest manager search in the history of football - Leicester appear to have selected their man.
And after all of that, it’s a coach who’s been available since practically May. Good process, everyone.
In all seriousness though, I think a move for Cifuentes makes sense. He’s got a long coaching career and has had success - particularly in Norway.
He also adopts a very similar style to that of former boss Maresca, while he’s also not afraid to give young players a go. They’re all massive ticks. And that’s not to mention his positive work under tough circumstances at QPR.
Away from the manager, your Post Horn Gallop newsletter is going to look slightly different over the next couple of weeks, with a couple of special editions on their way to your inboxes. But your weekly news round-ups will return in early August.
Thank you so much for your support so far. Let’s back Cifuentes and the Foxes.
Most Visited links from last newsletter:
📺 - Leicester City have confirmed that last weekend’s pre-season friendly is now on YouTube. Watch the full game back here.
❔ - If you fancy some nostalgia, our friends at Filbert Way have taken a look back to see what some famous (or infamous) former Leicester players are up to now including Kevin Ellison, Yunus Akgun and Ron-Robert Zieler. Read more here
🔍 - You may have noticed that last week’s edition was quite Mail Online heavy. That’s because writer Tom Collomosse hosted a live Q and A with fans to explain the club’s finances, boardroom changes, transfers, the pursuit of a new manager and much more.
🦊 Thank you for subscribing to and reading The Post Horn Gallop. We will always strive to bring you all of the latest news and developments from the King Power Stadium.
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Edition number: 15
Subscriber count: 592
I DON'T understand the Cifeuntes signing. He has more relegation and low level finishes than anything else on his CV. Sackings have been earned - getting QPR to 18th was being made out as a success. I understand our shortlist was poor but at least 3 of the others were better. Even Andy King would have been a better selection. Disappointing that we've waited so long for so little. Let's hope we offload a lot of our rubbish quickly and he doesn't give them ANOTHER chance.