Marti Cifuentes: Leicester appoint former QPR boss as their new manager ahead of Championship season.

Marti Cifuentes was in charge of Queen’s Park Rangers last season, with the west Londoners finishing in 15th place;

Cifuentes has signed a two-year deal at Leicester with the option of a further year; the 43-year-old will replace Ruud van Nisterooy at the King Power Stadium.

Leicester has named Marti Cifuentes as their new manager. Cifuentes succeeds Ruud van Nistelrooy, who left the King Power Stadium after seven months as manager following the Foxes’ relegation to the Championship.

Cifuentes has signed a two-year contract at the King Power Stadium, with an option for another year.

The 43-year-old was at fellow second-tier club Queen’s Park Rangers before being placed on gardening leave at the end of June after discussions with West Bromwich Albion about their head coaching vacancy. Cifutentes was not given the job, so Ryan Mason took over instead.

Leicester have paid QPR a £500,000 compensation fee, with Cifuentes paying exactly half of that by foregoing some of his wages and signing-on fee from the Foxes. Cifuentes is effectively taking a pay cut to lead the Midlands club.

The Spanish head coach was happy to do so and offered it to his new employers because he is excited about the project, despite Leicester’s tight finances and the prospect of a points deduction for alleged PSR breaches.

Leicester are also likely to have to sell players before making any new signings this summer. The new Foxes manager is set to lead the team in a behind-closed-doors friendly against Leicester’s sister club, OH Leuven, on Saturday, before they travel to Austria on Wednesday for a pre-season training camp.

Leicester’s Championship season begins on August 10 with a home match against Sheffield Wednesday.

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