Brendan Rodgers: Leicester City sack manager after four years in charge

Leicester City have sacked manager Brendan Rodgers after Saturday’s 2-1 loss to Crystal Palace, with the club’s board “compelled to take alternative action” to stay in the Premier League.

Rodgers, appointed in February 2019, won Leicester’s first FA Cup in 2021.

But chairman Aiyawatt Srivaddhanaprabha said performances and results this season had been “below our shared expectations”.

In a statement, he added: “It had been our belief that continuity and stability would be key to correcting our course, particularly given our previous achievements under Brendan’s management.

Brendan Rodgers has previously managed Celtic, Liverpool, Watford, Reading and Swansea

“Regrettably, the desired improvement has not been forthcoming and, with 10 games of the season remaining, the board is compelled to take alternative action to protect our Premier League status.

“The task ahead of us in our final 10 games is clear. We now need to come together – fans, players and staff – and show the poise, quality and fight to secure our position as a Premier League club.” There have now been 12 managerial departures in the Premier League this season, and of the bottom nine teams in the league, only West Ham and Nottingham Forest have not made a change.

Speaking on Radio 5 Live, former Leicester midfielder Robbie Savage said: “Brendan has been unbelievable at Leicester. He had options to go elsewhere but stayed loyal. Results haven’t been good enough, though. So is it the right thing? Inevitably the manager takes responsibility. The big question is: Do they have a plan?”The short-termism in management is remarkable. If you have an chance to move to bigger clubs but stay loyal to the club, where is the reward in that? The inevitability is you will be sacked.

“It’s not a decision the board will have taken lightly. You do it with the best interests of the club at heart. If they stay up, it would be the right decision.”

‘His place in Leicester history is assured’

Rodgers, 50, led Leicester to consecutive fifth-place finishes in his first two full seasons, and they also beat Chelsea to lift the FA Cup in 2021.

But his side began the 2022-23 campaign with seven defeats from their opening 10 Premier League games, slumping to the bottom of the table before a run of four wins from five games going into the World Cup break.

They have struggled since the season resumed, collecting just seven points from 33 available.

Leicester exited the Carabao Cup against Newcastle and the FA Cup against Blackburn during that run.

The Foxes rallied in January when a 2-2 draw with Brighton was followed by impressive wins over Aston Villa and Tottenham – scoring four goals in both of those victories.

But results again dipped, with the club failing to win in eight games in all competitions since the victory over Spurs on 11 February.

Rodgers won 92 of his 204 games in charge – a win percentage of 45.1%.

Srivaddhanaprabha added: “The achievements of the team under Brendan’s management speak for themselves – we’ve experienced some of our finest footballing moments under his guidance and will always be grateful to him and his staff for the heights they helped us to reach on the pitch.

“Off the pitch, Brendan embraced the culture of the club and helped cultivate an outstanding developmental environment, particularly during the transition to Seagrave, and provided strong leadership during the unprecedented challenge of the coronavirus pandemic. His place in Leicester City history is assured.”

Club have had to balance the books

Earlier in the season, Rodgers said Leicester was not the club “that it was a couple of years ago” after a frustrating summer transfer window.

Only defender Wout Faes and goalkeeper Alex Smithies were brought in during the summer, with Rodgers saying the club had to balance the books.

In January, they signed defender Harry Souttar from Stoke City, left-back Victor Kristiansen from Copenhagen and brought in winger Tete from Ukrainian club Shakhtar Donetsk on loan.

In March, Leicester announced pre-tax losses of £92.5m for the year up to 31 May 2022 – an increase of £61.3m compared to the previous 12 months.

There have been some high-profile departures, with defender Wesley Fofana joining Chelsea for about £70m last summer and goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel, a key figure in their title-winning side, leaving for Nice.

Reaction – ‘Panic stations among so many teams’

Former England winger Chris Waddle on BBC Radio 5 Live: “No-one expected Leicester to be near the bottom three. It is a surprise. They have had problems, key players have left – Schmeichel was a massive loss.

“They have had financial problems, and have brought players in perhaps not to the standard they wanted. He’s done a very good job with the players he has to work with. But a lot of teams have pressed the panic button and you can’t afford to drop out of this league.”

Former Liverpool midfielder Jamie Redknapp on Sky Sports: “He hasn’t had that spark this season. Something wasn’t right. I’m a big fan of Brendan and no doubt he will get back in football. Look at what Crystal Palace have done – it is panic stations among so many teams.”

Former Newcastle goalkeeper Shay Given on Sky Sports: “I feel for Brendan. In the past two years, he has not been backed by the owners and that is not Brendan’s problem. He got the rug pulled from under his feet. He is a top manager and will get another top job. It shows the stakes are getting higher and higher.” – bbc.com