Russell Martin in advanced talks with Leicester City (original) (raw)

Russell Martin, who was sacked by Rangers last October after 123 days in charge, is negotiating to take over at League One Leicester City - Andrew Milligan/PA Wire

Russell Martin is in advanced talks with Leicester City and weighing up an offer to make his return to management in League One.

Relegated Leicester have moved for the former Rangers and Southampton manager as they prepare for a major rebuilding job following their third demotion in four seasons.

Martin has not accepted the job at this stage but is emerging as Leicester’s prime target for the task of reviving the former Premier League champions.

The former Scotland international has been out of work since his departure from Rangers in October last year after just four months in charge.

Leicester have always admired Martin for his style of play which is a major attraction for the Aiyawatt Srivaddhanaprabha, the club’s owner and James McCarron, the newly appointed sporting director.

Martin has been in discussions with clubs both in England and overseas but is understood to be seriously considering the prospect of taking his next job in the third tier.

Martin won promotion to the Premier League with Southampton via victory in the 2023-24 Championship play-off final - Mike Hewitt/Getty Images

Leicester were relegated for the second successive season after another nightmarish campaign and are under intense scrutiny from supporters.

A significant revamp of the squad is expected with Ghana international Abdul Fatawu, highly rated centre-back Ben Nelson and Danish international Jannik Vestergaard expected to be sold this summer.

In a rare interview with the British press in February, Srivaddhanaprabha outlined his determination to appoint a new head coach with a similar philosophy to Enzo Maresca, who achieved promotion to the Premier League in 2024.

He said: “We have to get back to the identity of Leicester, what type of football we should play and what players we should bring.

“I think it was so clear when we got Enzo on board, what football we should play, and the type of player we should bring in.”