Brendan Rodgers: Staying or leaving depends on what the players want
Leicester City manager Brendan Rodgers says he cannot do much to stop anyone from leaving as it depends mainly on what the players want.
Since their promotion to the Premier League, the Foxes have seen a number of key players depart for bigger clubs, namely N’Golo Kante (Chelsea), Riyad Mahrez (Manchester City), Danny Drinkwater (Chelsea) and Harry Maguire (Manchester United).
However, there have been those who have decided against bidding farewell. Jamie Vardy is one such player. Kasper Schmeichel is another.
Their decisions not only reflect their feelings towards the club but also that more money and a potential chance of more trophies isn’t necessarily their priority.
It also shows that every player has different ambitions, which is why Rodgers feels that there is little that he or the club can do to prevent selling to big clubs.
"“Yes, but there are other goals,” he said when asked if players can achieve their ambitions at the King Power Stadium.“The reality is we will never be able to pay what some of these guys can get at those clubs.“You can leave here and double or treble your wages. That’s the reality and it is important for players and people.“If you cannot pay that, there is an opportunity for players to move on. It’s a great club here for them to come in and learn. It depends on what the player wants though.“Look at Jamie Vardy, he was here and he had opportunities to leave but he decided no, he wanted to be here, to stay and continue the legendary status he has.“Harry Maguire came in, did well for a couple of years, and decided he wanted to move to Manchester United, it’s different.”"
The reality really is that Leicester cannot pay what clubs the size if United or City or Arsenal can pay. They have massive purses which only few clubs in Europe can match.
For Leicester to reach that level, they need to stay at the top level for a long-long time and be among the most successful teams – which is to say they must win silverware. That is how you grow on the pitch and off it.
Look how one title win in 2015/16 changed the perception about Leicester and what it did commercially. Imagine if that could happen even twice in the next two decades.
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Long way to go but Leicester are moving in the right direction.