Leicester City's new manager Russell Martin is under intense pressure after a difficult start to the League One season. The Foxes sit 20th in the table with just two points from their opening three matches, a situation reported by onefootball.com this week.
Their current league standing shows 0 wins, 2 draws, and 1 loss, with a recent form of draw-loss-draw. They have scored only two goals while conceding three, leaving them with a negative goal difference and already five points behind early leaders Blackpool. The next test is a home fixture against 11th-placed Plymouth on September 1st, a game fans will view as critical.
Why is Russell Martin under scrutiny?
Russell Martin signed a three-year deal in June, just 16 days after the club's 10-year title celebration ended in a 0-0 draw. His appointment was meant to signal a fresh start following a traumatic relegation. Yet his possession-first philosophy, which yielded 73% possession in a 2-1 home defeat to Burton Albion, is being questioned by supporters who doubt its suitability for a League One battle. Martin's recent record adds to the concern. Across his tenures at Southampton and Rangers, he won only two league games. His spell at Ibrox lasted just 123 days before a dismissal in 2025.
The manager points to a significant squad overhaul as a reason for early struggles. "A young, newly assembled squad could be turning a corner," Martin said recently. Key sales include Abdul Fatawu to Ipswich Town and the highly-rated 17-year-old Jeremy Monga to Manchester City. Incoming signings like 19-year-old ball-playing centre-back Ilari Kangasniemi fit Martin's style but lack experience. This rebuilding project is unfolding against a backdrop of severe off-field uncertainty.
Is Leicester City football club up for sale?
Thai owners King Power are actively seeking buyers after 16 years at the helm, circulating an eight-page sales booklet to potential investors. No official sale announcement has come from the Srivaddhanaprabha family, but the search is underway. The club's financial position makes a sale complex. Accounts showed losses nearing £100 million in both the 2021-22 and 2022-23 seasons. These breaches led to a six-point deduction in the 2025-26 campaign, which proved decisive.
Leicester ended last season in 23rd place, five points short of safety, confirming their drop to the third tier. This ended a remarkable 17-year period that featured a Premier League title, an FA Cup win, and a Champions League quarter-final, albeit punctuated by three relegations. The challenge now is to avoid a further fall, with some observers suggesting a drop to League Two is a possibility this season.
What does the poor start mean for the season?
The opening fixtures have been chastening. A draw at Notts County was followed by that loss to Burton, where midfielder Oliver Skipp was sent off. A 3-1 Carabao Cup loss at Ipswich Town compounded the worries. The core issue is converting control into results, a problem starkly illustrated by the Burton game. Fans are clinging to hope that these are early teething problems for a new squad adapting to a specific system, rather than signs of another catastrophic decline.
The immediate focus is on halting the slide. The upcoming match against Plymouth at the King Power Stadium is now a significant early-season fixture. You can track the team's progress and upcoming challenges on our standings and fixtures pages. For Russell Martin and his young team, the need for a first win and a convincing performance is urgent to quieten the growing doubts and build a platform for the long season ahead in League One.
