Marti Cifuentes’s shock move to Leicester City will see Queens Park Rangers land £500,000 in compensation, according to reports.
The 43-year-old took on his first role in England at Loftus Road after opting to leave Swedish outfit Hammarby IF in October 2023. He was tasked with the seemingly impossible job of keeping the Hoops in the Championship but achieved just that with games to spare.
The 2024/25 campaign proved to be a series of ups and downs. Rangers started the season dreadfully, winning just one of their opening 16 games. This led to rumours that Cifuentes could depart West London, but he turned things around with a run of just one defeat from their next 13 outings.
The Spaniard was the put on gardening leave in April following reports that his representatives had held talks with division rivals West Bromwich Albion over their vacant managerial position, with his exit formally confirmed last month.
Cifuentes Set For Leicester Role
News first emerged last night that Cifuentes was in line for a shock appointment at Leicester City. The Foxes opted to cut ties with Ruud van Nistelrooy at the end of June following a dreadful run of form which saw them relegated from the Premier League.
A series of contenders have come and gone, with Sean Dyche, Gary O’Neil and Chris Wilder all said to have held conversations with the 2016 English champions. Sheffield Wednesday boss Dany Rohl also had his admirers at the King Power Stadium, but his situation at Hillsborough complicated any potential move.
This has led to Cifuentes emerging as the preferred candidate, with QPR set to benefit. Although he is officially not employed by the club, The Sun claim that his early exit included a compensation clause worth £500,000 should any other club come calling for his services. It is further stated that Leicester are willing to pay that fee to land their man.
Writer’s View
Few deny that Cifuentes performed a wonderful job at QPR but nobody thought he would end up back in the game at Leicester. The Foxes will have a minimum objective of gaining promotion this season and the Spaniard is somewhat of an unknown entity in this respect. Still, the financial boost will be welcome at Loftus Road. The decision to insert the compensation clause in his exit agreement was exceptionally smart and they are now set to reap the benefits.
