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Russell Martin is Leicester City’s new manager. The 40-year-old former Scotland defender has signed a three-year contract with the club, ending months of speculation about who would take the reins at a franchise that has fallen a very long way from its 2016 Premier League title glory.
Leicester now plays in League One. A club that lifted English football’s top prize a decade ago has suffered back-to-back relegations, dropping from the Premier League to the Championship and then straight through the trapdoor into the third tier.
The long courtship
This isn’t the first time Leicester came calling for Martin. The club targeted him last summer, but he chose Rangers instead. Leicester pivoted and hired Marti Cifuentes, a decision that clearly didn’t work out given, well, the whole League One situation.
Martin’s time at Ibrox wasn’t exactly a fairytale either. He was sacked by Rangers in October 2025 and has been out of work since.
He becomes the seventh manager Leicester has appointed since Brendan Rodgers left in April 2023.
What Martin brings to the table
Martin built his coaching reputation on a possession-based, progressive style of play during his time at Swansea City, where he earned praise for transforming the Welsh club into one of the most watchable sides in the Championship. His commitment to playing out from the back and dominating the ball became his calling card.
At 40, Martin is still relatively young for a manager at this level. His playing career included stints at Norwich City and Wycombe Wanderers, and he earned 29 caps for Scotland. He moved into coaching with MK Dons before taking the Swansea job that put him on the radar of bigger clubs.
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