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Departure was ‘difficult decision’, says Foxes’ owner Andy King will take interim charge for Charlton match Leicester have sacked Martí Cifuentes after dropping to 14th in the Championship. The club held crunch boardroom talks on Sunday before deciding to relieve the manager of his position. The Foxes slumped to a humiliating home defeat against a struggling Oxford United on Saturday and have won only one of their past five matches. Andy King, the club’s former Premier League-winning midfielder who has been first‑team coach since last season, will take interim charge but Leicester are expected to appoint an external successor. Leicester appointed Cifuentes on a three-year contract last summer with designs on an instant return to the Premier League, but they have failed to establish themselves as promotion contenders. The club have lost faith in the Spaniard, who spent the previous two seasons at QPR, after a series of inconsistent results and particularly poor recent performances. Leicester’s owner, Aiyawatt “Top” Srivaddhanaprabha, attended the defeat against Oxford at the King Power Stadium, during which supporters chanted against Cifuentes and also the club’s hierarchy. Fans have grown disillusioned with the ownership after being relegated from the Premier League in 2022-23. The director of football, Jon Rudkin, is under fierce scrutiny. Srivaddhanaprabha said in a statement released on Sunday afternoon: “This has been a difficult decision and not one I have taken lightly. I would like to thank Martí for the total commitment he has shown during his time at Leicester. He gave everything to the role and worked tirelessly to help us achieve our targets. However, I believe this is the right step at this time to improve performances and results, and to act in the best interests of Leicester City. Martí leaves with our thanks and our best wishes for the future. ” Fleetwood Town have sacked head coach Pete Wild. His departure comes after the team were beaten 2-1 by Colchester on Saturday, taking their winless run to seven matches in all competitions, and leaves them 15th in the table. A statement from the League Two club said: "Following six defeats in the last seven games the club felt now is the right time to make a change to the first team management. "Assistant head coach Adam Temple will also depart and everyone at the club would like to place on record their thanks to Pete and Adam for their hard work and professionalism during his time at the club. The club will issue a further update on the first team staff in due course. " PA Media The club, who are close to appointing a technical director to work with Rudkin as well as a new chief executive, are hamstrung by profitability and sustainability regulations and face a points deduction this season for allegedly breaching rules. They are limited to signing loan players in this transfer window, which ends on Monday 2 February. The Foxes are without a clean sheet in 23 league games and have struggled to find consistency. Leicester return to league action at home against Charlton next Saturday. Cifuentes inherited an experienced squad but was unable to strengthen. They have not paid a transfer fee for a player this season despite selling about £50m of talent last summer. After the defeat by Oxford, Cifuentes said: “It’s not a pleasant situation as a manager and as a person because you want to do well for them and it’s sad that they feel this way. At the same time, I know football is about results. At the moment, there’s a number of fans who are not happy with a lot of things. But as the manager you need to be accountable and responsible. ”