Marti Cifuentes in surprise running for quick manager return at Championship club
Marti Cifuentes was only sacked by Leicester City last week, but could soon find himself quickly back in a Championship dugout.
The former QPR manager moved to Foxes in the summer with the hope that he could guide them back to an immediate return to the Premier League.
However, after a 2-1 home defeat to Oxford United led to their 11th defeat in 29 league matches, Cifuentes was dismissed at the King Power Stadium at the end of January.
Now, while Leicester hunts for Cifuentes’ successor, the Spaniard could soon find himself back in the dugout in the second tier, with the manager heavily linked to the current Watford vacancy.
To everyone at @LCFC pic.twitter.com/XLGq32Tn0X
— Martí Cifuentes (@MCC14) February 5, 2026
Marti Cifuentes second favourite to take over at Watford
Since the sudden resignation of Javi Garcia last week, the Hornets have been on the hunt for a new manager.
Watford are currently eighth in the Championship and are only three points off Wrexham, who sit sixth.
Former Southampton manager Will Still has emerged as an early favourite to take over at Vicarage Road, after also failing to get the Saints into the race for promotion.
Since Watford were relegated back to the Championship in 2021/22, they’ve had seven different managers who have averaged just 26 games in charge.
— Squawka Dugout (@SquawkaDugout) February 1, 2026
Javi Gracia resigns after winning eight of his 21 matches. ❌ pic.twitter.com/o6DTPUHQYI
However, following the Englishman is Cifuentes, with one bookmaker pricing the Spaniard at 11/2 to come in.
Nevertheless, it remains to be seen if Watford opt to appoint the former Leicester boss so soon after he left the Foxes.
Who else is in the running for the Watford job?
Currently, Still remains to the to take over at 3/1.
The manager has been out of work since November, when he departed St Mary’s Stadium in a failed first stint in England.
Following this is former Blackburn Rovers and Sweden National Team manager Jon Dahl Tomasson at 8/1.
The 49-year-old was pretty successful at Rovers, but failed at Sweden after failing to reach the 2026 World Cup through the qualifiers.
Potential outsiders for the job are Bo Svensson and David Wagner at 9/1 and 10/1.
The former manager was last in charge of Union Berlin, which lasted just 17 matches before he left in December 2024.
In comparison, David Wagner has also been out of work since 2024, after failing to return Norwich City to the Premier League in the 2023-24 campaign.
Nevertheless, unlike many on this list, he does have a Premier League promotion on his CV, when he guided Huddersfield Town back to the top-flight in 2018.