Brendan Rodgers sack talk latest: Eye-watering compensation cost emerges as Thomas Frank responds to Leicester rumours
Leicester’s board of directors will continue discussions over the possibility of Brendan Rodgers getting the sack this week amid revelations of the huge compensation costs they would have to pay him upon his dismissal.
The Foxes are in a dire run of form and sit bottom of the Premier League with just a point to their name. Indeed, they have lost their last six games – the worst run of Rodgers’ managerial career – with Saturday’s 6-2 thrashing at Tottenham their latest setback. It all means Rodgers may not be in charge by the time Leicester next play against Nottingham Forest after the international break.
Rodgers admitted he was unsure what the future held for him after that spanking at Spurs.
“Whatever their decision is, I will always respect it. The owners will do what it is they feel they need to do,” he said.
“I’m not daft, I know football, and the last six games don’t make great reading. But I have every confidence the team can push on and climb the table.
“I come in every day and do my work, but you’ve got to win games. I understand the frustrations of supporters and I can’t hide from that. It’s my responsibility.”
There are, however, mitigating circumstances behind the Foxes’ demise. They lost two of their key players in Wesley Fofana and Kasper Schmeichel over the summer. And with question marks lingering over another star man in Youri Tielemans, Rodgers came clean over their demise.
However, any decision to sack him will hit the cash-strapped Foxes hard in the pocket.
Brendan Rodgers sack talk prompts Thomas Frank reaction
He still has three years left to run on his £200,000 a week deal, which expires in June 2025. And the Daily Mirror claims his severance package could hit more than £10m if chairman Aiyawatt Srivaddhanaprabha pulls the plug on his reign.
The main contender to replace Rodgers at the helm is Thomas Frank, the Brentford manager.
However, the Foxes would also need to spend big to buy him out of his contract with the Bees. That currently also runs to 2025, with the west Londonders handing the Dane a handsome payrise earlier this year.
Talk that he will be targeted amid claims Rodgers is facing the sack has already prompted a reaction from Frank.
The 48-year-old is adamant he will not be leaving the Brentford Community Stadium.
“It’s very simple: I’m here at Brentford, I’m very happy,” he told Sky Sports.
Asked if his players were affected by the rumours, he added: “I can’t speak for the players, I don’t ask them about it.
“For me, I’m reading very little about these rumours. I’ve of course been told by Chris [press officer] about it so I’m aware of it.
“Of course it’s nice that someone is linking me with something because that means something that we have done here, not only me but the staff and the players have done well so that’s positive.
“I’m very happy here at Brentford.”
Foxes being left with little choice but to consider replacement
Leicester have enjoyed a sensational run of things over the past six years. They were the 5000/1 Premier League title winners in 2016 and then reached the quarter-finals in the 2016/17 season before being knocked out by Atletico Madrid.
And their success continued in 2020 when Rodgers led the club to its first FA Cup final success in their history.
But following a turbulent summer, many felt Leicester would be in for a hard time of things this time around.
Bottom of the Premier League and already five points from safety, they next face a crucial clash against fellow strugglers Nottingham Forest.
Whether Rodgers will be in charge by then remains to be seen.
Given his success in the position, some in charge of the club will feel that he still has credit in the bank. And the fact his sacking will hit them so hard in the pocket will also give make the club think twice.
But there is only so long a team can continue to struggle. And the longer they leave it, the more tough it may be to escape the clutches of relegation.
The Premier League can be an unforgiving place and there will be little sympathy for their plight. Tottenham were brutal in picking them apart in that second half on Saturday evening.
And those struggles may give them little choice but to act and it would come as a surprise to no one were the axe to fall.
