Leicester City's new manager Russell Martin has arrived, and the team is preparing for a season in League One after relegation.

What happened?

Russell Martin has been manager of Leicester City for over a week, and work will officially begin for the 2026/27 campaign in the coming days.

The Foxes are heavily backed to be promoted, with Martin's simple objective being to drag the club back into the Championship. Anything but that will be deemed a failure.

Why it matters for Leicester City

Martin has a huge pre-season ahead of him to get his ideas across to the current crop of players. The hierarchy also have a big job on their hands with plenty of players expected to depart and more needed to come in.

Between now and the first game of the season in the second weekend of August will see plenty of change. Work will begin at Seagrave for the start of pre-season next week, and Martin will have the first opportunity to assess the current players.

What comes next?

There are a handful of individuals who, should they stay, could play a major role in this new-look City side. Sammy Braybrooke returns from his loan spell at Chesterfield with an entire season of senior football under his belt. After impressing with Newport County, he moved to one of League Two's promotion-hopefuls in January and reached the play-offs.

Now at the age of 22, the central midfielder will be hoping to finally fulfil his potential that has been on the cards since 2022. Braybrooke completed the most passes in comparison to his positional peers in the fourth tier and ranked in the top seven for expected assists.

The next winner is Ben Nelson. There is a feeling that the academy product could leave the club this summer given his age and potential, but there is also the consideration that his performances last season could put teams off.

Nelson has one year left on his contract at Leicester, so this window could be the final chance to receive a fee. However, should he commit his future and stay for a season in League One, he will be vital.

Last term, the 22-year-old completed 82.2% of his passes - which is fairly good in a team that failed to keep possession. Under Martin, City must have an athletic centre-back who can pass the ball with ease - similar to Taylor Harwood-Bellis at Southampton.

Nelson ticks those two boxes and could be the man Martin looks to build the first phase of play around. If Leicester can tie him down, he will almost certainly be one of the first names on the teamsheet.

Finally, Silko Thomas could benefit massively from Martin's appointment. The 21-year-old was used sparingly in the Championship last campaign with the likes of Stephy Mavididi, Abdul Fatawu, and Jeremy Monga all preferred.

But this year, all three of them could depart, and Thomas will be one of the very few wide attackers available from the start. Martin's system requires wingers who can hurt the opposition when the ball comes to them.

Under Enzo Maresca, it was similar with Mavididi and Fatawu stretching the pitch and causing damage in various ways. Thomas' senior career hasn't gone to plan as yet, but he could be the perfect player to thrive under Martin's system.