Russell Martin’s Championship record as Leicester City eye Ruud van Nistelrooy replacement | OneFootball

Martin has been linked with the Foxes vacancy as they are bound for the Championship

As Leicester City's fate in the Premier League looks all-but sealed, the hierarchy at the King Power Stadium are already preparing for life back in the Championship.

Just 11 months ago, the Foxes had finished top of the Championship in what would prove to be Enzo Maresca's solitary season in charge of the East Midlands outfit before his departure to Chelsea, where he would be followed by homegrown talent Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall after a stunning season in the second tier for the creative midfielder.

Plenty of controversy has clouded over the King Power in the last year too, such as talk over possible points deductions as Leicester supporters have continued to voice their discontent towards owner, Aiyawatt Srivaddhanaprabha and Director of Football, Jon Rudkin.

On-pitch matters have also proven a disaster for the men in Blue, as Steve Cooper's reign lasted just 12 games despite the club being two points above safety on November 24th, whilst his replacement, former Manchester United forward Ruud van Nistelrooy, couldn't have endured a worse spell in the dugout, losing 14 of his last 15 games in charge across all competitions.

With an immediate EFL return on the horizon, the Leicester hierarchy are said to have former Swansea City and Southampton boss Russell Martin at the top of their managerial shortlist, as they prepare to make a pivotal decision at the season's end.

Football League World have, therefore, looked into the ex-defender's previous record in the second tier and weighed up whether he is the ideal candidate to take the reins.

Russell Martin's previous Championship record at Swansea City and Southampton

Martin was appointed as head coach in South Wales back in August 2021 after the aforementioned Cooper's sudden departure from the Swansea.com Stadium two months after losing the play-off final to Brentford.

The former MK Dons boss' first season in the dugout in the second tier was extremely mixed, but he was able to get the best out of Joel Piroe, Jamie Paterson and Michael Obafemi in particular, as the trio were responsible, in some form, for 51 of his side's 58 goals as the Jack Arrecorded a 15th-placed finish with 61 points - an average of 1.33 points-per-game.

Martin's second and final season with the Welsh outfit saw plenty of progress made, with Piroe once again the main man in front of goal with 19, whilst Ryan Manning also excelled on a defensive and creative basis, hitting double figures in terms of assists.

After another inconsistent season, despite a run of six wins in seven games between September and October 2022, the Swans looked destined for another bottom-half finish, before Martin was able to mastermind a run of six wins and two draws during his final eight games in charge, with Swansea ending the season just three points outside the play-offs, as well as recording a famous 'double-double' against bitter rivals, Cardiff City.

The former Norwich City right-back took charge of 92 league games at Swansea, winning 34 of those and amassing 127 points, ending with a points-per-game record of 1.38 and a 36.4% win percentage.

Martin's possession-based philosophy aligned with Swansea's long-standing ethos, of course, although it did alienate some supporters during the latter stages of his time in charge as the Welsh side fell short of competing for a top-six finish under his leadership.

He took charge of the Saints after their 12-year stay in the Premier League came to an end, and was able to add to an already high-value and high-quality squad at the level with the likes of Manning, Shea Charles and the injury-struck Ross Stewart.

After a respectable start to life at St Mary's, a run of four successive defeats with an aggregate score of 12-2 piled immediate pressure on the 39-year-old, before a club-record unbeaten run of 25 games had his side well and truly in the thick of a four-way promotion battle alongside Leicester, Ipswich Town and Leeds United.

However, a run of just seven wins in the final 16 games meant Martin's squad, which included the league's second-highest scorer, Adam Armstrong, would be consigned to the play-offs, finishing nine points behind the Tractor Boys in second place.

To his credit, Martin was able to mastermind a successful play-off campaign as Southampton saw off West Bromwich Albion in the semi-finals, before Armstrong's first-half strike saw them bounce back to the top flight immediately at Wembley Stadium.

Martin ended the regular Championship season last term with a points-per-game record of 1.89, and his overall record at this level currently stands at 60 victories, 34 draws and 44 defeats from 138 games, adding up to 218 points and a PPG of 1.55.

Ultimately, he would be dismissed by the South Coast side on December 15th with the club rooted to the foot of the table after a 5-0 defeat to Tottenham Hotspur, with his overall win percentage at Southampton coming in at 47%.

Even prior to Alan Nixon's fresh report, it was clear that the Leicester hierarchy are looking to prioritise a manager/head coach who can implement a possession-based ideology at the King Power, with Maresca able to do so with a squad littered with some of the best players to ever feature at Championship level in recent times.

The likes of Danny Rohl and former Hull City boss, Liam Rosenior, have also been linked with the pending vacancy, only echoing those thoughts further.

Martin has showcased throughout his previous jobs in the second tier that, when given ample time and resources, he can mould an efficient side which is capable of stringing together consistent results to mount a promotion or play-off bid.

No doubt, the pressure would immediately be on his shoulders to deliver an immediate return to the Premier League, regardless of the squad turnover which is set to take place during a pivotal summer in the East Midlands, and it would be intriguing to see whether he does replace Van Nistelrooy in the coming weeks with Sean Dyche also said to be in the running.