Marti Cifuentes already has big Leicester City win under his belt after QPR action | OneFootball

Cifuentes’ £250k gesture signals serious intent at Leicester.

Marti Cifuentes may not have yet taken a game as Leicester City’s new manager, but the Spaniard has already made an impression - and for all the right reasons.

According to reports from Sky Sports, Cifuentes is personally contributing half of the £500,000 compensation fee owed to Queens Park Rangers, clearing the way for his appointment at the King Power Stadium.

For a manager out of work since June, and one still waiting for visa paperwork to be finalised, that is an extraordinary gesture - and one that will resonate deeply with a Foxes fanbase in desperate need of optimism.

Morale has been low in the East Midlands. Relegation from the Premier League, a delayed managerial appointment, and the looming threat of a points deduction have combined to create a summer of anxiety.

But Cifuentes’ willingness to dip into his own pocket to join Leicester sends a powerful message: he wants to be here. In fact, he is excited by the project - and that should count for a lot.

Leicester City set for fresh start under committed and principled Cifuentes

Still only 43, Cifuentes arrives at Leicester having kept QPR in the Championship for two successive seasons.

That may not sound headline-grabbing, but it came under testing conditions. With a modest squad and financial limitations, he guided the Hoops to 18th and 15th-place finishes, stabilising a side that had flirted with relegation before his arrival.

Cifuentes’ win percentage of 35% (29 wins from 83 matches) doesn’t immediately leap off the page, but his impact was felt in more nuanced ways: tactical clarity, improved in-game management, and a structure that got more out of limited resources.

In other words, the kind of profile Leicester need right now.

That he is prepared to take a significant pay cut to join the Foxes - effectively returning a portion of his QPR gardening leave salary - only underlines his desire to take the job on its merits.

Leicester’s financial constraints make Cifuentes' arrival all the more timely

The context at Leicester is sobering.

The club, once champions of England and FA Cup winners, are now adjusting to life back in the Championship under the shadow of alleged Profit and Sustainability Rules breaches.

They avoided sanction last year by virtue of no longer being under EFL jurisdiction, but with the loophole since closed, consequences could follow.

This is not a typical ‘relegated club resets and bounces back’ scenario. Cifuentes is stepping into a high-pressure, low-margin environment.

Yet that is precisely what makes his early gesture so significant. Leicester need more than just tactical acumen - they need belief, leadership and shared sacrifice. In that respect, Cifuentes is already walking the walk.

Ruud van Nistelrooy’s short-lived and unconvincing reign did little to unify a fractured fanbase. By contrast, Cifuentes’ actions ahead of his appointment suggest a manager with humility and purpose.

For supporters frustrated by indecision and off-pitch distractions, his no-nonsense approach to resolving his QPR exit will feel like a breath of fresh air.

The real work, of course, begins on the pitch. First-team coach Andy King has overseen early pre-season friendlies, but Cifuentes is expected to lead Leicester into their Austria training camp later this week.

That gives him precious time to assess his squad and instil his philosophy ahead of a gruelling Championship campaign.

Leicester City are still a club in flux, and the task ahead is immense, but in Marti Cifuentes, they may have found a manager who sees challenge as opportunity - and who is already showing fans why he could be the one to lead them forward.