Leicester’s fall did not come from one bad month or one bad appointment.
The result has been a club that has looked caught between eras. Leicester have still had the badge, the stadium and the memory of better days, but not always the structure that made those things matter. A report this week says the club are preparing for a rare spell at this level, and that sense of historical shock is impossible to ignore.
Martin arrives with a defined football identity, and that alone is significant. His teams are usually built around control, patient build-up and clear positioning. In theory, that can give Leicester a framework they have lacked.
But League One is not a gentle division for new ideas.
That makes Martin’s first months crucial. If Leicester move the ball with purpose and defend transitions better, belief will grow fast. If the style looks slow without results, scrutiny will follow just as quickly.
Getting out of League One would be the immediate target, but genuine recovery means more than finishing high. Leicester need a squad that fits a plan, a calmer mood around the club and a sense that the next chapter is being built rather than borrowed.
The early fixtures will set the tone. If Leicester City can turn recent scars into urgency instead of anxiety, Martin’s first season could become the start of a proper revival rather than another attempt to manage decline.