{"id":6664,"date":"2026-02-10T16:33:24","date_gmt":"2026-02-10T15:33:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.infotekps.com\/index.php\/2026\/02\/10\/gareth-southgate-and-ex-pe-teacher-among-frontrunners-for-championship-job\/"},"modified":"2026-02-10T16:33:24","modified_gmt":"2026-02-10T15:33:24","slug":"gareth-southgate-and-ex-pe-teacher-among-frontrunners-for-championship-job","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.infotekps.com\/index.php\/2026\/02\/10\/gareth-southgate-and-ex-pe-teacher-among-frontrunners-for-championship-job\/","title":{"rendered":"Gareth Southgate and ex-PE teacher among frontrunners for Championship job"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Leicester City are still looking for a replacement for Marti Cifuentes in the dugout, but leading contenders are emerging.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Cifuentes was sacked last month<\/a> and Foxes legend Andy King has stepped up to take interim charge of the club since.<\/p>\n

\"Leicester
King is a contender to get the job full-time, but he has lost his two games in charge<\/figcaption>Getty<\/figcredit><\/figure>\n

King\u2019s time in charge hasn\u2019t gone well though, losing both of his two games on the touchline<\/a> and having two players sent off.<\/p>\n

On top of that, Leicester were deducted six points by the EFL<\/a> for breaching financial rules, which has seen them plunged into relegation trouble<\/a> in the Championship.<\/p>\n

It means they are now in desperate need of a new manager to come in to steady the ship and prevent a shock drop to League One<\/a>.<\/p>\n

So, here\u2019s a look at the frontrunners for the job at the King Power Stadium, using talkSPORT BET\u2019s latest odds<\/a>:<\/p>\n

Gareth Southgate \u2013 4\/1<\/h2>\n

The current bookies\u2019 joint-favourite to become the next Leicester manager is ex-England boss Gareth Southgate<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Southgate has not taken on another job since leaving his post at the Three Lions<\/a> following Euro 2024<\/a>.<\/p>\n

He had previously been considered a contender to replace R\u00faben Amorim at Manchester United when Amorim was sacked.<\/p>\n

And he has been tipped for a Premier League job<\/a> in the future too, with this summer a potential time for him to return<\/a>.<\/p>\n

But with the job at Leicester now available, Southgate could be tempted to make an unexpected return to the touchline.<\/p>\n

However, as the Foxes are now battling against relegation from the Championship, is the job too much of a drop down for him? <\/p>\n

\"Gareth
Southgate has been tipped for a Premier League job \u2013 could he consider a drop down to Leicester in the Championship?<\/figcaption>Getty<\/figcredit><\/figure>\n

The 55-year-old has only ever managed Middlesbrough<\/a> at club level, taking charge of his former side from 2006 to 2009.<\/p>\n

It means it\u2019s been 17 years since he last managed in domestic football, with his roles with England starting in 2013. <\/p>\n

Southgate spent three years as the Three Lions\u2019 U21 manager before then spending eight years as the senior side\u2019s boss, reaching two European Championship finals<\/a> and a World Cup semi-final.<\/p>\n

Dean Smith \u2013 4\/1<\/h2>\n

The other current joint-favourite to take over at Leicester is their former interim boss Dean Smith<\/a>. <\/p>\n

Smith would need to leave his job at Charlotte FC in the MLS<\/a> \u2013 a role that he took up a few months after leaving the Foxes. <\/p>\n

He only spent a matter of weeks at the King Power in 2023 to try and prevent relegation from the Premier League<\/a>, but he was unsuccessful and they dropped down to the Championship on the final day.<\/p>\n

\"Steven
Gerrard left his job in Saudi Arabia last year and is a free agent<\/figcaption>Getty<\/figcredit><\/figure>\n

Steven Gerrard \u2013 5\/1<\/h2>\n

A huge name among the favourites for the Leicester job is Liverpool<\/a> and England legend Steven Gerrard<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Gerrard departed Saudi Arabian side Al-Ettifaq by mutual consent in January 2025, and he has not taken a new role since.<\/p>\n

He was linked to a return to Rangers<\/a> after Russell Martin<\/a> was sacked, but he turned down a move back to Ibrox<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The Premier League icon has also previously managed Aston Villa<\/a>, in what has been his sole role in English football so far.<\/p>\n

Villa sacked Gerrard in 2022, as he left the club after just under a year in charge, having won just 13 of his 40 games in charge.<\/p>\n

His name has now emerged as a contender to join Leicester and potentially lead the fight against relegation from the Championship.<\/p>\n

\"Lincoln
Lincoln boss Skubala was born in Leicestershire and used to work in the county<\/figcaption>Getty<\/figcredit><\/figure>\n

Michael Skubala \u2013 6\/1<\/h2>\n

Another leading contender to head to the East Midlands is current Lincoln City<\/a> manager, Michael Skubala. <\/p>\n

And for Skubala, becoming Leicester manager would be a return home, as he was born in Leicestershire.<\/p>\n

In fact, the 43-year-old started off as a PE teacher at Lutterworth College in the south of the county before going on to become director of football at Loughborough University.<\/p>\n

Skubala, who has also managed Leeds<\/a>\u2018 Under-21s and the Whites\u2019 first team for a short period as caretaker, is now Lincoln boss.<\/p>\n

Since taking over the club in November 2023, he has led a rise to see them challenging at the top of League One, winning 58 of his 124 games in charge.<\/p>\n

Lincoln are sitting second in the third tier and look to be in prime position for automatic promotion<\/a> to the Championship. <\/p>\n

But due to his connection to Leicester, he may end up considering the switch to start a fight at the other end of the table with the former Premier League champions.<\/p>\n

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Next Leicester City manager odds<\/h3>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
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Leicester next manager odds (talkSPORT BET<\/a>)<\/em><\/p>\n