The football world is focusing on the new appointment in English football, as Leicester City announced Spanish specialist Marti Sifuentes as their head coach. The 43-year-old strategist takes over from Ruud van Nistelrooy, signing a three-year contract with the East Midlands club.
The appointment comes at an extremely delicate moment for the team, which triumphed with the title in the second division less than a year ago under Enzo Maresca's leadership. Sifuentes will have to handle the challenge of returning the team to the Premier League, after the "foxes" immediately dropped out of the elite championship last season.
Club chairman Aiyawatt Srivaddhanaprabha defined the new coach as a "perfect fit" for the club, emphasizing that Sifuentes brings a "modern and progressive football philosophy". Expectations are that he will continue the tactical approach introduced by his predecessor Maresca - with a focus on ball control and aggressive pressing.
Sifuentes' professional biography includes diverse experience - from working in Ajax's youth academy to coaching positions in Scandinavian championships. In his latest commitment with QPR, he managed to pull the team out of the relegation zone, demonstrating his ability to work under challenging circumstances.
The new coach will have an extremely short period - less than four weeks - to prepare the team for the upcoming season. An additional challenge lies in the financial constraints caused by potential sanctions for alleged violations of the Football League's financial rules.
Sifuentes briefly shared that he accepts the appointment as a "great honor" and expressed his ambition to write the next chapter in the club's rich history. His arrival symbolically coincides with the ten-year anniversary of Claudio Ranieri's legendary title, which put Leicester on the football map.
Among the main challenges for the new coach are filling the vacant spot left by club legend Jamie Vardy and building a competitive squad under serious financial constraints. Football analysts expect Sifuentes to rely on young talents and apply his recognizable tactical style.
Sifuentes' appointment is seen as a strategic move by Leicester's management, aimed at a quick return to the Premier League and restoring the club's prestige after the surprising relegation.