Leicester City have named former Queens Park Rangers head coach Marti Cifuentes as their manager on a three-year deal.

The 43-year-old Spaniard replaces Ruud van Nistelrooy at the Foxes' helm with less than a month until the season starts.

Cifuentes takes charge of a Leicester side that finds itself in the Championship for the second time in three years, having been immediately relegated from the Premier League after going up as second-tier title winners under Enzo Maresca in 2024.

Cifuentes now joins Maresca, who left Leicester after promotion to take the job at Chelsea, as one of the six permanent managers the Foxes have had in just over two years.

Just as the Italian was tasked with returning the East Midlands club to the top flight during his tenure, promotion will also be expected of Cifuentes.

In his time at QPR, the Spaniard, for whom the Foxes will pay Rangers an undisclosed compensation fee, oversaw 18th and 15th-placed finishes.

Leicester say they feel the Spaniard will bring "a modern, progressive footballing philosophy" to the club, while chairman Aiyawatt Srivaddhanaprabha says that Cifuentes "is an excellent fit".

"We felt strongly that bringing him to the club would help us to create the success we all want in the years ahead," Srivaddhanaprabha added.

Cifuentes took charge of QPR when they were second-from-bottom in the Championship in October 2023 and escaping relegation was first asked of him at Loftus Road.

His latest campaign ended with him on gardening leave after the Hoops suffered a 5-0 defeat by already-promoted Burnley in April.


At the time, Cifuentes was also being linked to a move away from the west London club.

It was not until late June, two months after being stood down, that the former Hammarby boss officially parted ways with QPR.

He was seen as a popular figure among Hoops fans, but was also viewed as a head coach that only got "streaky" results out of his side.

His appointment at Leicester, however, is seen a shift back to Maresca's approach to the game, with the Spaniard sharing the Italian's possession-heavy, high-pressing style.

Cifuentes has described taking on the job at the King Power Stadium as "a great honour".

"This is a fantastic club with a proud history and it's a privilege to me to be asked to help write the next chapter," he said.

Cifuentes has had eclectic coaching career to date, with a spell working at Ajax's famed youth academy in the Netherlands in 2007 followed by a stint at Millwall, before he went on to coach in Spain's lower leagues.

He relocated his coaching career to Scandinavia after that, working in Norway, Denmark and Sweden, where he guided Hammarby to a third place top-flight finish in 2022.


Cifuentes takes the Leicester job on almost 10 years to the day after Claudio Ranieri became what would be the most famous managerial appointment in the club's history.

In his only full season at Leicester, the Italian miraculously guided the little fancied Foxes to the Premier League title.

A decade on, and the anniversary of the club's most glorious achievement will be celebrated while they are in the second tier and up against numerous on and off-field issues.

Not only will Cifuentes have less than four weeks to get to know his players, it is also a squad that is yet to get attention since relegation.

Leicester legend Jamie Vardy left at the end of the campaign, and is yet to be replaced.

Just how much business the East Midlands club can do remains unclear, with Leicester charged with allegedly breaching the English Football League's financial rules when they won the Championship just over a year ago.

It also means that Cifuentes might also have a points penalty to deal with in the coming season.

The leadership that Cifuentes has previously shown when working in difficult situations, as well as his history in youth development and track record for promoting young talent, are understood to have appealed to Leicester's hierarchy as they approach what are sure to be trying times at the King Power Stadium.

'Work to do but little time'

Nearly three months after relegation was confirmed and three weeks since Ruud van Nistelrooy eventually left the club, Leicester City finally have their man.

Marti Cifuentes arrives at King Power Stadium with plenty of work to do and not too long to get it done.

In terms of the football, I'm told we can expect something similar to the style implemented by Enzo Maresca during his time at the club, with possession a key focus.

That may have frustrated some of the Foxes fans, but we know it's a way of playing admired by the players who were part of the 2023-24 Championship winning team.

But with the squad off to Austria this week and the start of the new season less than four weeks away, time is already against Cifuentes to get his ideas across and his players ready. He also needs to target new recruits with not much money to play with.

The fans would have wanted this appointment confirmed much, much earlier. But hopefully now it's finally done, it's one they can get behind.

Former Newcastle, Liverpool and West Ham striker Andy Carroll has joined sixth-tier Dagenham & Redbridge on a free transfer.

Carroll has signed a reported three-year deal with the National League South club after leaving Bordeaux last month.

The 36-year-old departed the French fourth-tier club after just a season because he wanted to be closer to his children.

Carroll said in an interview with Sky Sports, external that he had "clubs ringing me up from higher leagues" but it was important that he moved to a team which was the "right fit".

"It doesn't matter the level, or anything, as long as I get on the pitch and play football, that's all that matters," Carroll said.

"Coming here and showing people I am just playing for the love of football rather than the money and the level is something I wanted to do.

"This is something which could be fantastic. We have a project to get them out of non-league and back up the leagues."

Gateshead-born Carroll scored 54 goals in 248 Premier League games during spells with Newcastle United, Liverpool and West Ham United.

He then went on to play for Reading and West Bromwich Albion before moving to France with second-tier side Amiens in 2023.

Carroll won nine caps for England, scoring two goals, between 2010 and 2012.

On the day they signed Carroll, Dagenham & Redbridge also announced a deal to sell the club to a consortium of private investors from Qatar.

The Daggers were bought by Club Underdog, a subsidiary of US-based company North Six Group, in May 2024.

"Completion of the transaction remains subject to legal finalisation and approvals from the FA and the National League," Dagenham & Redbridge said in a statement.

It is about us but can be about many, many clubs


https://mattyhenno.shorthandstories.com/...index.html

Billy Connolly said there were only two seasons in Scotland, June and Winter, remaining true to that dictum the Scottish League Cup group stages start tonight, for those tiring of all the plastic football around, and gasping for a real game of gashed shins, grazed thighs, embarrassing errors in defence and apoplectic middle-aged managers.

I think these are the fixtures for Matchday 1 in case anyone other than me is interested.

11/07/2025

Group B
Edinburgh City v Partick Thistle

12/07/2025

Group C
Bonnyrigg Rose v Alloa Athletic

Group H
East Fife v Livingston

Group G
Peterhead v Greenock Morton

Group A
The Spartans v Queen's Park

Group F
Elgin City v Raith Rovers

Group C
Dundee FC v Airdrieonians

Group F
East Kilbride v St. Johnstone

Group G
Clyde v Motherwell

Group A
Brechin City v Falkirk

Group D
Annan Athletic v Forfar Athletic

Group D
Arbroath v St. Mirren

Group H
Brora Rangers v Kilmarnock

Group E
Stirling Albion v Hamilton Academical

Group B
Stranraer v Ross County

Group E
Heart of Midlothian v Dunfermline Athletic

AFC Wimbledon forward Osman Foyo has been charged by the Football Association with breaching betting rules.

The 20-year-old is alleged to have placed bets on matches on 252 occasions between 29 October 2023 and 28 March 2025.

Foyo spent the first half of last season on loan at non-league Chelmsford before returning to Wimbledon in January and making six appearances for Johnnie Jackson's side as they won promotion from League Two.

He has until Wednesday 16 July to respond to the charge, an FA spokesperson said in a post on its official X account, external.

If found guilty, Foyo could face a lengthy suspension.

In May 2023, England striker Ivan Toney was banned for eight months for 232 breaches of the FA betting rules.

And earlier this week, former Cheltenham, Shrewsbury and Exeter forward Ryan Bowman was banned for three-and-a-half years for placing 6,397 bets over an eight-year period.

Gateshead have had their Fifa-imposed ban on registering new players lifted.

The ban had been imposed last month and concerned a historic transfer issue, but it has now been resolved, the club has said.

"I am now pleased to say that official confirmation has been received from Fifa and we are good to go with registering our new signings," said, external chairman Bernard McWilliams.

The club can now step up preparations for the National League season under new manager Alun Armstrong, which begins on 9 August.

Chesterfield 5-0 Burton. Over 2k fans and a cracking friendly. Bonis looks a beast, Dibley Dias looked terrific and Stirk looked a good addition. Big problem recognizing all the new faces as the wire squad numbers that didn't tally with the team sheet but who cares .

Grimsby Town boss David Artell has signed a new deal to keep him at the club until the end of the 2027-28 season.

The 44-year-old former Crewe Alexandra manager took over at Blundell Park in November 2023 after Paul Hurst was sacked.

He led them to ninth in League Two last season, two points off a play-off place.

"We've made great progress, and I hope we can continue this positive trajectory into the new season and beyond," he told the club website.

See the BBC still has a sense of humour, Wayne Rooney taking over from Gary Lineker as presenter.
Wayne bloody Sleep has more personality and can at least speak English. Glad I don't watch it.