Leicester City may be poised to dismiss Marti Cifuentes if they fail to achieve a positive result at Derby County this weekend, sources have told Football Insider.
The Foxes were beaten 3-2 at home by Sheffield United last weekend, and that outcome has now left them slumped in 16th place in the Championship standings.
An all-East Midlands showdown awaits them at Pride Park in the early kick-off on Saturday, and sources have indicated that this is Cifuentes’ final chance to preserve his job.
Leicester already find themselves five points adrift of the play-off spots after their relegation last term, and that has triggered intense scrutiny over the manager’s role in recent weeks.
Leicester City board in unexpected situation:
Football Insider exclusively revealed at the beginning of November that Cifuentes was facing the sack at Leicester ahead of their matchup with Norwich.
However, the former QPR manager guided his side to victory at Carrow Road, and then followed it with an impressive 2-1 win over high-flying Stoke City.
Those two triumphs had momentarily reduced the pressure on Cifuentes, but sources have now suggested that his position is once again under serious evaluation after the latest consecutive defeats.
The Leicester hierarchy are said to have been caught off guard by their unexpected place in the league standings, and another defeat this weekend is likely to signal the end for Cifuentes.
He only arrived from QPR during the summer, but the club leadership are far from pleased with where the team currently stand.
Situation set to deteriorate further at the King Power Stadium:
Ex-Aston Villa and Everton chief executive Keith Wyness recently told Football Insider that Leicester could be hit with a nine-point penalty by the EFL for allegedly breaching PSR rules.
The Foxes have been charged by both the Premier League and the EFL for financial violations in recent years and are still waiting to discover their punishment.
Wyness noted that the maximum sanction they could receive is an immediate nine-point deduction, but he also expects the club to attempt an appeal against the ruling.
Leicester are already stuck in mid-table in the second division, and a substantial deduction would drastically worsen their predicament and could even drag them into a relegation fight.