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Marti Cifuentes is going to have a busy job on his hands with Leicester City this season.
Cifuentes will become the Leicester manager after it was reported that all parties have agreed a compensation package and the former Queens Park Rangers boss will take the reins at the King Power Stadium.
It won’t be easy for the Spaniard though, with 90 per cent of Leicester fans losing faith in the owners, however, Cifuentes can still win over the Foxes faithful early.
A points deduction is looming at Leicester which could result in no new arrivals through the door and Cifuentes may have to experiment with what he has at his disposal.
So, with that, here is what the incoming Leicester boss’ starting XI could look like.
Marti Cifuentes’ dream Leicester City XI
Mads Hermansen
This first one might come as a surprise but it looks more and more likely that Mads Hermansen will stay. Hermansen was tipped to be one of the first players to leave the club following relegation, but no official offers have come in for the 25-year-old. West Ham United had been credited with interest in the ‘keeper, but keeping him would be a huge boost early doors.
Ricardo Pereira
Despite missing a huge chunk of last season, Ricardo Pereira is still the best right-back when everyone was fit. James Justin was on the receiving end of plenty of criticism and January signing Woyo Coulibaly hardly featured. Pereira is the leader that the club needs right now and excelled in the previous Championship campaign. He can do the same again.
Caleb Okoli
It was an up and down first season personally for Caleb Okoli last time out. At first, the Italian looked shaky and seemed unfavoured by Ruud van Nistelrooy but then forced his way back into the side and looked far more at home. With a year of English football under his belt, Okoli deserves to play ahead of the likes of Wout Faes, Conor Coady and Jannik Vestergaard.
Ben Nelson
The first non-negotiable: start Ben Nelson. After a brilliant loan spell at Oxford United, only marred by injury, Nelson is ready-made for the Championship. Nelson is one of Leicester’s brightest talents to come through the academy over the last decade and deserves his chance.
Luke Thomas
Many were surprised to see Luke Thomas reintroduced into the fold last season, however, the academy graduate looked like one of the more competent in the side. Victor Kristiansen is likely to leave Leicester this summer and that will give Thomas a free run in the side.
Louis Page
Louis Page has impressed for Leicester in pre-season, scoring twice in the side’s first win against Peterborough United. Page is also being looked at by RB Leipzig and the young midfielder is tipped to be a future star. Some may consider it early, but the Foxes need a refresh and Page should be given the nod ahead of players who have tried and failed multiple times.
Harry Winks
A controversial shout after Harry Winks’ high-profile public fallout with Van Nistelrooy, but Cifuentes has a very similar philosophy to Enzo Maresca and Winks would thrive in that system. He was Leicester’s best player in their last Championship campaign and given that the side are going to have a lot of the ball, that’s where Winks thrives.
Abdul Fatawu
The one everyone is excited about. Abdul Fatawu was denied the chance to show the Premier League what he was all about due to injury but will be back and determined to get the club back to where it belongs. Fatawu gave defenders nightmares for days in the 2023/24 campaign and they won’t be happy to see him return.
Bilal El Khannous
Bilal El Khannouss is in a very similar position to Hermansen in the sense that he could depart at any given moment. Sunderland want El Khannouss, who gave Leicester fans a few things to cheer about at least. In all honesty, the midfielder would be a cheat code for the Championship and far too good – which would only benefit Cifuentes.
Jeremy Monga
Jeremy Monga snubbed Manchester City and PSG to stay at Leicester, but now the onus is on the club to show him he will play first team football. Monga has been a key member of the pre-season squad and is expected to feature heavily in the Championship. As talented as he is, the 16-year-old is still raw and may not be a nailed-on starter every week.
Stephy Mavididi
Cifuentes’ final choice may seem strange, but Stephy Mavididi could work as a good centre forward option. Patson Daka and Jake Evans would be waiting in the wings but Mavididi has the pace that Jamie Vardy used to offer. He scored goals in the second tier last time but it would be a close toss up between himself and Evans.