Next Leicester manager: Trusted source confirms Foxes are in talks with sacked Premier League boss as Potter alternative
Leicester City are in discussions with a manager who was sacked by a Premier League club earlier this season as they continue to hunt for Brendan Rodgers’ replacement, according to The Athletic.
Rodgers was axed by the Foxes on Sunday. He had been in charge of the club for four years and guided them to their first ever FA Cup trophy in 2021. But Leicester chiefs could not justify Rodgers being in the dugout as the team slipped closer to relegation.
Leicester lost five of the last six Premier League matches that Rodgers was in charge for. The 2-1 defeat to Crystal Palace on Saturday proved to be the final straw and Leicester acted by releasing the following statement: ‘Leicester City Football Club has reached a mutual agreement with Brendan Rodgers that will see him leave the club after four years as our men’s first team manager.
‘Assistant manager Chris Davies and first team fitness coach Glen Driscoll will also be leaving with the club’s thanks and best wishes for their future careers.
‘Immediate responsibility for men’s first team training and match preparation will be led by the club’s long-serving first team coaches Adam Sadler and Mike Stowell.’
Graham Potter was soon identified as a potential successor to Rodgers. The Englishman also became a free agent on Sunday as he was sacked by Chelsea.
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Potter going to Leicester would make sense. At Brighton, he showed he can excel when managing a team outside of the ‘Big Six’ who are underdogs but can punch above their weight.
But Leicester want to make sure they get this next appointment right and are therefore considering other managers too.
Leicester meet with former Leeds boss
As per The Athletic’s Leicester writer, Rob Tanner, the east Midlands side have ‘held talks’ with American coach Jesse Marsch.
He was in charge of Leeds for just under a year before being sacked in February.
Leicester are assessing all of the options available to them and Marsch has emerged on their radar. He is not their main target right now, but discussions are underway. This means Leicester should be able to swoop in quickly if another team tries to land Marsch as well.
Leicester officials view Marsch as having the right style of football to get the best out of the current squad. Boasting players such as James Maddison, Harvey Barnes and Wilfred Ndidi, Leicester should simply not be as low down in the league table as they are.
Another trait of Marsch’s that Leicester will like is the fact he has experience in a relegation scrap. Last season, he arrived at Elland Road as Marcelo Bielsa’s replacement and helped Leeds to avoid relegation to the Championship. Leeds did not play pretty football under him, but that did not matter as they maintained their top-flight status.
Marsch could be the right man to keep Leicester afloat this term. But Leicester fans might be concerned that he is not the perfect manager to take the club forward.
The Leicester faithful have been used to exciting football thanks to Rodgers, as well as competing for European qualification. It is unlikely Marsch will be able to provide either of those achievements.
Perhaps the best bet for Leicester is to appoint Marsch until the end of the season. If he exceeds expectations, by keeping Leicester up and getting them to play good football, then he could be offered a longer deal.
But if Marsch does not turn out to be the right man for the job, then Leicester will be able to cut ties in the summer without paying a big fee.
Meanwhile, Tottenham are reportedly ahead of Liverpool and Newcastle in the hunt for a Leicester ace.
