We check out the first words from Gary Rowett after becoming the new manager of Leicester City until the end of the 2025/26 season.
The 51-year-old comes in as replacement for Marti Cifuentes, who was sacked last month after a run of just two wins in eight league games.
Leicester currently sit 22nd in the Championship table, with 32 points (-6 points deduction) from 32 games played and are 2 points from safety.
We’re pleased to confirm that Gary Rowett has been appointed as our Manager on a contract to the end of the 25/26 season ✍️
Welcome, Gary! 🦊
— Leicester City (@LCFC) February 18, 2026
CLUB STATEMENT:
We are pleased to confirm that Gary Rowett has been appointed Leicester City Men’s First Team Manager on a contract to the end of the 2025/26 season.
Leicester City appoint Gary Rowett as Men’s First Team Manager
The 51-year-old agrees a contract to the end of the 2025/26 season
Callum Davidson joins coaching staff as Assistant Manager
Rowett to take charge of the team for the first time at Stoke City this Saturday
Gary will now oversee First Team training as we prepare to travel to his former club Stoke City in the Sky Bet Championship this weekend.
Having taken charge of nearly 600 matches during a 14-year managerial career, including over 400 games in the Championship, Gary brings a wealth of valuable experience back to Leicester, where he served as a player between 2000 and 2002.
He arrives with a colleague with whom he has previously worked – former City team-mate Callum Davidson as Assistant Manager – who will join Andy King and Adam Sadler on the First Team coaching staff.
Leicester City Manager Gary Rowett said: “I’m really proud to be the new Leicester City Manager and to have the opportunity to work with and lead a really talented group over the coming months.
“It’s very clear to us all what needs to be achieved between now and the end of the season and the work begins immediately. I’m looking forward to building connections with the players, with the staff at the Club and with the fans – all of which will be vital to helping us secure the results we need.
“I’m really excited to be at a club that has certainly got the structure to push on, kick on and start to improve results. Everyone knows the situation that the team are in and why they are there as well.
“It’s important that we tackle that, we take that on board, but I’ve been in the Championship for a long time, I know the division and I’ve been in these positions before.
“It’s also giving the players a clear and direct route out of it and what we need to do to improve results and try and start climbing the table and all feel better about where we are. It’s wanting to tackle these 14 games really positively and try and find a few of the missing pieces.
“Hopefully we can give everyone, including the fans, a really strong end to the season, with a team you are proud of and want to see on the football pitch, a team that gives everything and wants to dig in and hurt when it needs to and suffer when it needs to.
“Also, we know we can play some good football and control games as well. It’s finding the balance of what we need to do and it’s meeting that challenge head on.
“The place has certainly changed since I was here, many moons again,” the former defender explained. “I’ve just seen a few faces that I know already and a few faces that are new.
“It’s an exciting challenge and nice to get in the building and be able to get to work. I think that’s the most important thing, to be able to get my hands dirty and start the work with the players.
“It was windy, it was cold, but the facilities are fantastic. It’s all about the people who bring the facilities to life: the players, the staff, the coaches, there’s an enthusiasm there.
“When there’s some new ideas, the players buy into that quickly. We’ll see how that manifests itself on the pitch. But certainly, so far, everyone feels a little bit disappointed and frustrated with where they are, so it’s up to me to give them the tools to manifest that in a positive way and put that on the pitch on Saturday.
“We can talk all we want during the week, but ultimately, it’s about what we do at the weekend and in the midweek games. I’m looking forward to the games starting, but also it’s nice to get out there on day one, work with the players and get to know some of them and build those relationships as well.
“Some of those players, I’ve worked with young Ben [Nelson] before, of course, at Oxford. I worked with JJ (Jordan James) at Birmingham. There’s some players I know a little bit better than the others. I’ll soon get to know the personalities.
“The main message really is, how do you want to finish the season? I think it’s a great opportunity. You can look at these positions with a little bit of trepidation, a little bit of fear, or you can tackle it positively and almost embrace the challenge.
“This morning was really about what we’ll give the players but also being really clear on what we need back in return. That’s the discipline, the willingness to want to be the best player you can be, whether you’re 36 or 16, it makes no difference to me. I want to see hungry players that want to fight for the shirt in different ways and show their qualities in different ways.
“Sometimes the first day is about getting across the messages in terms of the culture and how you need that to look. There’s a little bit around the principles that we’ve spoken to the players around, trying to simplify the game a little bit for them, but also giving them a real clear basis and a consistent message of how we want to try and do it.
“I think the players have to bring that to life. That’s the part where they have to feel a little bit of freedom, particularly in those attacking positions.”
He continued: “I felt I was always the type of player who would try and give everything I could. Perhaps there were more talented players than me, but I tried to make the best of what I was.
“As a manager, I suppose it’s still the same. I want to really structure the team well, organise the team well. I also appreciate some of the talents I have in the team and it’s trying to give them that base to go and flourish as well.
“There’s different ways to do it but first and foremost, it’s a team that we need to find that right balance, the right connection with the defensive side of the game and what’s required in the Championship.
“We also want to get on the front foot, attack games and win games. That’s what this division is all about and the games come thick and fast. You’ve got to move on quickly from game to game but we’ll try and create a real excitement, particularly in the home games.
“You’ve got to show a little bit of resilience; you’ve got to show toughness and a real determination to go and do what it takes to win a game of football. But there’s lots of ways you can do that.
“You can do it by having a lot of the ball and attacking well, but in order to attack well consistently, you need to have the right defensive structure and balance.
“As the week progresses, we’ll start to build towards the opponents, Stoke, and what we might need to try and do to give ourselves the best opportunity of winning a game of football.
“I’m a big believer in that you play all these types of opponents and games, but you have to really focus on yourselves as well. It’s about doing what you do consistently well.
“Sometimes you can change [your approach] every week to opposition coaches and managers and while you respect the opponent, it’s about what we really want to do well and what defines us as a team and the behaviours around that.
“I’m looking forward to seeing the team. It’s a few days away yet and we’ve got plenty of work to do, but we want to a see a team that is galvanised and ready to go out and do everything they can to try and get a result.”
Leicester City Chairman Aiyawatt Srivaddhanaprabha said: “Gary is a manager with deep knowledge of the Championship and experience of the situation we now face in these final 14 games of the season – a fight for survival in the division. It is a task on which the entire Club is focused, and we will provide Gary with every support to help us find the solutions we need.
“I’m grateful to Andy King for the professionalism and dedication with which he has prepared the team for recent matches in challenging circumstances. Together with the current group of First Team staff, he will remain a valued part of our coaching team, providing important continuity from which Gary and Callum can help to build.”
Gary returns to Leicester 24 years after a two-season spell as a full-back with us, making 57 appearances in our final two seasons at Filbert Street.
Now 51, his career in management is widely respected, built across spells with Burton Albion, Birmingham City, Derby County, Stoke City, Millwall and, most recently, Oxford United, whom he guided to Championship survival during the 2024/25 season. In the Championship in particular, Gary’s teams have become known for establishing the stability and consistency needed to navigate the demands of the division.
Gary will be introduced to the media on Thursday ahead of Saturday’s trip to Stoke City. Following a visit to Middlesbrough on Tuesday (24 February), he will take to the home dugout for the first time on Saturday 28 February for the visit of Norwich City.
Here’s how fans reacted after hearing the first words from Gary Rowett after becoming new Leicester manager until the end of the season…
@RFox55_: Welcome Gary, an appointment the fanbase recognise should have been made three weeks ago.
@lcfckeiran: I’m more than happy to give him a chance because let’s face it… who wants to join us given the state we’re in… 😂🙃 Just don’t start Ayew in your first game as manager and we’ll all get along nicely!!
@Robyreu754: Solid appointment for league one. Look forward to seeing if we can go up next year.
@Mattt_lcfc: Well he’s the roll of the dice. Get behind him and the boys, hopefully he can steady the ship.
@yogs1foot: About time. Only wasted 3 massive games while in relegation form and in the bottom 3 of the league. Good to see the ownership and Rudkin haven’t learnt a thing from that Internal Review. Round of applause King Power Football Club 👏👏👏👏👏👏 #KPFC
@THENUNEATONFOX: Welcome Rowett. Remember his Burton side doing us in the league cup many moons ago… I hope we can sort this mess of a side out. Defending needs sorting out which has been an issue since Puel… 😬
@JoshKotadia: Fuck it, if he keeps us up. Give him the job and the keys to the city #lcfc
@MarkgLcfc: Welcome back Gary Rowett. I’ll keep this simple, you’ve taken on one hell of a mess, just keep us up 🙏 #lcfc 🦊
@atlanticfox94: Alright now let’s crack on. Gary Rowett’s blue army 💪 He’s familiar with the area, probably has a lot of insight into our predicament that others might not have paid attention to. I reckon he’s a great fit for our current situation tbh. Now let’s get more more points lads
@damonfleming: Gary Rowett. Exactly the right type of appointment we need right now. A bit more pragmatic and no non-sense. Let’s hope he can get a reaction from the group starting Saturday! #lcfc