Leicester in advanced talks to hire Gary Rowett – these are the Foxes stars who’ll love that news the most
Jamaal Lascelles is one of three Leicester City players who will be buzzing with the news of Gary Rowett’s impending arrival as their new manager.
Leicester are under serious threat of relegation from the Championship this season after the failed appointment of former QPR boss Marti Cifuentes last summer.
Cifuentes was sacked last month with the Foxes in the bottom half of the second tier, while they were deducted six points on 5 February due to previous PSR breaches.
Andy King has overseen losses in all four of his games as interim boss, meaning Leicester have now failed to win a league match since 5 January, and are sitting 22nd in the Championship.
The Telegraph have now reported that Rowett is in advanced talks to take over as the Foxes’ new boss, and Football Insider have looked at three players who could be set to benefit from his arrival.
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Stephy Mavididi
Mavididi was a key man for Leicester as they were promoted to the Premier League in 2023-24, while he put in some decent performances last season despite their relegation back to the Championship.
The 27-year-old has failed to replicate his previous form this term, with just two goals and one assist in 28 league appearances, which pales in comparison to fellow winger Abdul Fatawu’s total.
He clearly has the talent to be a real threat to Championship defences, but needs a manager who will play to his strengths and utilise counter-attacking tactics with his wide players.
Rowett has been known to deploy such methods in the past with the likes of Millwall and Oxford, and so his thoughts on how he wants Leicester to set up could really benefit Mavididi’s pace and trickery.
Jamaal Lascelles
Lascelles signed a contract until the end of the season at the King Power Stadium last month, bringing 12 years at Newcastle to an end.
He barely featured in the final 18 months of his long spell with the Magpies, but has already made two appearances for Leicester after returning to full fitness.
Rowett is a pragmatic manager who builds a solid defensive base before anything else, and so Lascelles could well be in line to start regularly under him, given his experience at the top level and impressive leadership qualities.
Asmir Begovic
Following a similar theme, veteran goalkeeper Begovic seems likely to be trusted by Rowett to keep his place between the sticks for the Foxes as the campaign draws to a close.
The 38-year-old stopper has experience in abundance, with over 400 appearances in English football to date, and has performed well for Leicester this season despite his age and their league position.
Jakub Stolarczyk has been dropped in recent weeks after committing three errors leading to goals in the first half of the season, with Begovic featuring in games against Birmingham and Southampton.
Rowett should see no reason not to trust the former Bosnian international keeper for the rest of the campaign, so Begovic does look set to carry on as Leicester’s number one for the foreseeable if he is hired.