Leicestershire

Watch as Leicester City owner Khun Aiyawatt 'Top' Srivaddhanaprabha sits down with BBC Radio Leicester to talk about the state of the club as they struggle in the bottom half of the Championship.

The Foxes' Thai chairman spoke to reporter Owynn Palmer-Atkin just hours before the club sacked manager Marti Cifuentes.

You can catch the full interview on the Leicester City BBC Sounds page.

Listen to Leicester City owner Khun Aiyawatt 'Top' Srivaddhanaprabh's full one-on-one interview with BBC Radio Leicester's Owynn Palmer-Atkin.

The club's Thai chairman talks at length in his first UK interview for 10 years about the state of the Foxes, its financial situation and the hearing into the club's alleged breaches of profit and sustainability rules (PSR).

He also discusses the changing role of director of football Jon Rudkin and responds to dissatisfaction shown by fans about the Leicester's fall from Premier League title winners to become a mid-table Championship side.

Listen to 'When You're Smiling' and more Leicester City content on BBC Sounds.

Former Southampton and Rangers manager Russell Martin is among the candidates to take over as Leicester City manager following the sacking of Marti Cifuentes. (Football Insider), external

Former Foxes player Gary Rowett and Hearts manager Derek McInnes are also being considered by the Foxes. (Mail), external

Northampton Town have entered advanced talks with Leicester for a potential loan move that would see 17-year-old Foxes forward Jake Evans return to his hometown. (Football Insider), external

Want more transfer news from the EFL? Take a look at Tuesday's gossip column here.

Image source, Getty Images

Leicester City sacked boss Marti Cifuentes after the 2-1 home defeat by relegation-battling Oxford left the Foxes 14th in the Championship and six points off the play-off places.

We asked for your views on whether the club was right to part ways with the 43-year-old Spaniard and on who should replace him.

Here is a selection of your responses:

Daniel: I can see why the frustrations are placed against Marti. However this is a role that is set up to fail from the start. No strength up front means we constantly have to defend and inevitably concede. The club needs changing from the top down, not the bottom up.

Mark: To be honest, this has been coming for a while. The team is disjointed, lethargic and needs someone to instil some fight and energy into them. Instead of looking for a new manager now, they should leave Andy King in charge until the end of the season and hope that he can get them to actually play like a team that cares about playing and fight to keep us up.

Alex: Cifuentes has carried the can for yet more director-level failure. He was their appointment and left to make do with a box of largely worn-out or misshapen tools. Difference is that the directors get to carry on and probably make more glaring errors.

Nick: Set up for failure. Who would take the job now? Still no money, fans with unrealistic expectations, club lacking direction. Get an experienced manager in short-term to steady the ship and avoid relegation.

Steve: Results show that change is needed but the club need to take a long, hard look at themselves. Marti was brought in with no pre-season and no chance to build the squad of his liking. We now sack him with a week to go in the January window meaning that any new manager will have missed the opportunity to shape the squad and therefore will inherit a squad of players who have been incredibly poor, are overpaid and lack the commitment to our club. Combine that with a forthcoming points deduction and no money for anything and you wonder who would be foolish enough to take such a position.

Kimbo: Letting him go was the right decision. Anyone can see that the problems are deeper rooted than him. Was he the problem? Not really. Unfortunately, he wasn't the solution. Had good intentions and wish him well but he just wasn't the man for the job.

Hadrian: Can't wrap my head around it. The club have deep-rooted issues that need addressing and the players need a long, hard look at themselves, as do the fans. Our fanbase is toxic.

Joe F: While Marti was not the right man for the job, at the end of the day the issues are far more down to systemic issues in the backroom. The team Leicester has isn't good enough but this is the reckoning that has been coming. The headlines can be seen already: '10 years ago champions of England, today relegated to League One'.

Kevin: Probably correct call given recent dire performances but I do have some sympathy. Short pre-season, no money to spend, squad lacking in quality, a portion of whom clearly don't want to be here. Club's been on a downward spiral for 4-5 years now, fear it hasn't reached the bottom yet. As for who next? Who would want it?

John: Cifuentes brought in good players like Jordan James and Aaron Ramsey but couldn't make the team consistent at all. Existing players should take some responsibility. Last two games were dire and everyone was starting to panic. Seemed to have lost the dressing room so had to go. Could we do what Celtic have in bringing in an ex-manager until the end of the season? Nigel Pearson working with Andy King?

Joe T: Easy to lay the blame on the manager but he's always come across as a genuinely decent man, trying his best for our club. The same at the moment cannot be said about the majority of the players. I'm not sure where we go from here and who would want to touch this role with a bargepole. A Nigel Pearson-like character would be an ideal solution even if it's just in the short term.

Leicester City's issues go beyond just the manager, according to former Foxes striker Matty Fryatt.

The Championship club have sacked boss Marti Cifuentes after only six months in charge and with the team 14th in the table.

"The bigger issue is, is it a club problem, not just a manager problem?" Fryatt told BBC Radio Leicester's podcast 'When You're Smiling.'

"You've had three managers in a year who've been sacked - everyone has to take accountability for it."

Listen to 'When You're Smiling' and more Leicester City content on BBC Sounds.

Image source, Shutterstock

Leicester City have sacked manager Marti Cifuentes after only six months in charge.

The Foxes are 14th in the Championship and six points short of the play-off places.

But are the club right to have parted company with Cifuentes and who should they replace him with?

Leicester fans can have their say here - check back on this page on Monday to see some of the responses.

Naz Premji
BBC Final Score reporter

Image source, Shutterstock

The Foxes put in an abject performance against Oxford United on Saturday and were deservedly beaten 2-1 in a game which saw new U's boss Matt Bloomfield get his first win since taking over at the Kassam Stadium.

Marti Cifuentes' side lacked ideas and there was not much determination to get back into the game when they went 2-0 down.

A large number of the Leicester fans were heading to the exits when Mark Harris scored the visitors' second goal.

Remember, Leicester are waiting on a verdict on a points deduction for their previous financial issues and rules that were allegedly broken during the past few seasons.

They could get anything from six to 10 points taken off them and, if it's the latter, they will be in trouble and in a real relegation fight.

Add in the fact they are unlikely to bring in any new faces in January, and there is a real recipe for trouble brewing at the King Power Stadium.

In fact, former Foxes striker Matty Fryatt said on BBC Radio Leicester that the side look like they are sleepwalking into a relegation position.

Worrying times in the East Midlands.