Exclusive: Crisis-Hit Leicester Eye Shock Return for Former Boss Enzo Maresca

Leicester City are in meltdown and the Foxes have turned to a familiar face in a desperate bid to stop the rot, SportsBoom can exclusively reveal.

With their Championship season spiralling and fear gripping the boardroom, our sources have learnt the club have held secret, exploratory talks with former boss Enzo Maresca over a sensational return to the King Power Stadium.

The dramatic move comes after Marti Cifuentes was sacked, just six months into the job, following a brutal collapse in form that left the Foxes drifting, directionless and dangerously exposed.

A dismal 2–1 home defeat to lowly Oxford United proved the final straw, what was Leicester’s 11th loss in 29 league games under the Spaniard and one that underlined just how far standards have fallen.

Cifuentes arrived in July tasked with hauling Leicester straight back to the Premier League after their second relegation in three seasons. 

MAROONED

He left the club marooned in 14th place, six points off the play-offs and staring down a campaign that has lurched from frustration to flat-out fear.

And that position became even worse as a 2-0 home loss to Charlton Athletic left the club languishing in 17th place ands just six points above the relegation zone

Leicester chairman Aiyawatt Srivaddhanaprabha admitted the decision was painful, but unavoidable.

“This has been a difficult decision and not one I have taken lightly,” he said. 

“I believe this is the right step at this time to improve performances and results.”

However, the numbers paint a bleak picture. Leicester managed back-to-back league wins only twice all season. 

Their longest unbeaten run, only eight games, was bloated by five draws. Most damning of all, they are now 16 places and 33 points worse off than Maresca’s Championship title-winning side were at the same stage last season.

SPOOKED

The slide has spooked the hierarchy and dragged Maresca’s name straight back into the frame.

The Italian has been out of work since his dismissal by Chelsea since being sacked on New Year's Day, but his appetite for a return has never dimmed.

Behind the scenes, he has made it clear he is ready, waiting and convinced unfinished business remains. Leicester, even in chaos, seems to still have appeal.

The Foxes are clear of the bottom three, for now, but that cushion is fragile, with the threat of a points deduction still looming over alleged spending-rule breaches. Survival, not promotion, is now the immediate concern.

For now, first-team coach Andy King has been placed in interim charge, put our sources understand the club are desperate to their new man in as soon as possible.

And with their season in freefall, the Foxes may once again turn to the past in a bid to save the present.