Leicester City is a club that just refuses to be "normal." Honestly, if you’ve followed them over the last decade, you know the script is usually written by someone who loves a chaotic plot twist. One year they are winning the most improbable title in sports history, and the next, they are tangling with financial regulators or sliding down the table.
Right now, the conversation around leicester football premier league ambitions feels a bit heavy. As of mid-January 2026, the club isn't even in the top flight—they are sitting 12th in the Championship. It's a weird spot to be. After a disastrous 2024-25 Premier League campaign where they only scraped together 25 points and shipped 80 goals, the "Foxes" are currently in a rebuilding phase that feels more like a survival mission.
The Reality of the 2025-26 Season
When Steve Cooper was sacked in late 2024, it felt like the club was searching for an identity it had lost somewhere between the King Power glory days and the cold reality of Profit and Sustainability Rules (PSR). Enter Martí Cifuentes. He inherited a squad that was technically gifted but, frankly, a bit shell-shocked.
The stats don't lie. Leicester currently has 37 points from 26 games. They’ve won 10, drawn 7, and lost 9. It’s the definition of mid-table mediocrity, which is a tough pill to swallow for a fan base that was watching Champions League football not that long ago.
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- Top Scorer: Jordan James (8 goals)
- Recent Form: Picking up steam with a 2-0 FA Cup win over Cheltenham Town.
- The Big Departure: Wout Faes just packed his bags for Monaco on loan.
Cifuentes has been vocal about wanting a squad that is "100 per cent committed." You can't blame him. With players like Faes clearly looking for the exit to keep their international hopes alive, the dressing room atmosphere has been tricky.
What Most People Get Wrong About the Finances
There’s a lot of talk about the "Leicester model" being broken. You’ve probably heard people say the owners have stopped caring or that the money has dried up. That is sort of a half-truth.
Aiyawatt "Top" Srivaddhanaprabha actually wrote off £124 million in debt just last year. He’s "gifted" the club nearly £430 million in total. The problem isn't a lack of generosity; it's the math. The Premier League and EFL rules are an immovable object. Top literally cannot just write a blank check anymore without triggering massive points deductions.
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The Macquarie Loan Tangle
Because the owner's hands are tied by PSR, the club has turned to Macquarie Bank for loans. These are secured against future TV rights and parachute payments until 2028. Fans are worried. Some even boycotted the West Brom game recently. It feels a bit like pawning the family silver to pay the rent, but in the world of modern football finance, it’s one of the few levers left to pull.
Tactics: The Shift from Maresca to Cifuentes
The ghost of Enzo Maresca still haunts the King Power. His style was all about "the process"—slow, methodical, possession-based football that eventually ground opponents down. It worked in the Championship the first time, but it was found out in the Premier League.
Cifuentes is trying something different. He’s pushing for more directness. If you watch the recent matches, you’ll see Harry Winks still acting as the metronome, but there’s a greater emphasis on getting the ball to Stephy Mavididi and Abdul Fatawu quickly.
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The team is currently ranking low in "running stats," which has been a point of contention. Cifuentes has had to explain this repeatedly—basically, he wants intelligent movement over mindless sprinting. Whether that translates into a late-season playoff push remains the big question.
The Road Ahead for Leicester
The goal for any leicester football premier league return has to be stability. The club is currently 15 points off the top spot held by Coventry City. A playoff spot is mathematically possible, but they need a near-perfect run in February and March.
The upcoming January window is pivotal. With Faes gone, the defense looks thin. Jannik Vestergaard is still a mountain at the back, but he’s 33 and the pace of the Championship can be brutal on older legs.
Actionable Insights for the "Blue Army"
If you’re a supporter or just following the drama, keep an eye on these specific areas over the next few weeks:
- The February Fixtures: Games against Stoke City and Middlesbrough will define if Leicester is a playoff contender or just playing out the string.
- The Jordan James Factor: He’s the spark. If he stays fit and keeps scoring from midfield, Leicester has a chance.
- PSR Hearings: The legal battles off the pitch are just as important as the matches on it. Any further points deductions would be catastrophic.
- Squad Integration: Look for how Fran Vieites and the younger academy products like Ben Nelson are utilized as Cifuentes tries to purge "uncommitted" players.
The path back to the Premier League isn't going to be a straight line. It never is with this club. But for Leicester City, the drama is usually just the preamble to something unexpected.