After one point from their last six games and having slumped into the relegation zone, Leicester City have finally made the decision to relieve Brendan Rodgers from his duties as manager of the East Midlands club.
In what felt like a longer than overdue decision, the Northern Irishman has left the club by mutual consent. Leaving City now desperately on the search for a new manager. Not only to save them from relegation in the short-term, but to also progress the club back to competing for European qualification and to be on the hunt for silverware once again.
It now becomes a difficult task of who exactly this person should be. With no replacement seemingly line up by the outfit, here is a list of potential candidates Foxes of Leicester think could be the right man to take the King Power team into a new era.
Ange Postecoglou at Leicester City?
This may feel somewhat like DeJa’Vu for City fans considering the scenario in which Rodgers himself joined the club back in February 2019. Leaving Celtic to join the Foxes are an extremely successful spell with the Scottish club as well as on the precipice of another SPL title. So, although it may be unlikely for lighting to ostensibly strike twice regarding the scenario in which Leicester were to pry a successful manager from the defending Scottish champions. If it is possible, do it.
Go all in for the Australian. Postecoglou has completely transformed a Celtic side that had given up their reign of dominance to a Steven Gerrard lead Rangers team. Since then he has won back to back League Cup’s one league, with another most likely again this season. While also taking the Scottish club to a first Champions League appearance since 2017. Not only did he take them into the UCL but managed to punch well above their weight in an extremely difficult group, containing the likes of Real Madrid and Red Bull Leipzig. Teams that outspend Postecoglou’s club by astronomical amounts. Yet the Glasgow side competed in the majority of the games including two draws against Shakhtar Donestk.
Not only has he show he can produce a side that can punch above their weight, but also generate a brand of possession-based football that has the become the staple in the majority of successful sides in Europe over recent history. He’s demonstrated to be able to identify under the radar talent, Kyogo Furuhashi is a great example of this. The Japanese forward has scored 20 goals this season and the player only cost €5.4million from Japanese side Vissel Kobe. This is something that the Foxes has really struggled with during Rodgers’ tenure at the club. The recruitment has not been good enough in that period and has been such that it has now handcuffed the club financially. With big contracts for players who have spent much of the last 18 months sitting on the bench – Jannik Vestergaard and Ryan Bertrand to name a few –.
With a massive squad revamp needed in the Summer, a manager with the scouting network like Postecoglou could mean that Leicester City can make a return back to the squad quality of a side consistently pushing for the Champions League. Sooner rather than later.
Vincent Kompany
When you look around world football and see the graduates of the Pep Guardiola school of coaching having major success, both Mikel Arteta and Xavi are located at the top of the Premier League and La Liga. With former Manchester City captain now Burnley boss atop of the Championship by a total of 11 points with only eight games left to play. Burnley have lost just two games in the league as well as only conceding 29 goals. A serial winner and commanding leader in his playing career but is now transferring that success over to the managerial game.
Of course, there may be some hesitations from some since the Belgian is coming from a Championship side that have much more financial power than their rivals due to their lengthy stint in the Premier League. However, the domineering manner in which they have essentially walked a league that so many struggle to get out of shows he is clearly managed of winning intangibles. While also able to implement his philosophy of a free flow attacking style in contrast to the previous long-term regime of Sean Dyche. Foxes of Leicester will now make our final suggestion to the Leicester City board, in Michael Carrick.
Michael Carrick
Another man new to the managerial game and another man taking the Championship by storm. After taking over a Middlesbrough side that were sitting 21st in the league and one point above the relegation zone. Since then, they have soared up the table into third place and have taken 50 points from a possible 69 in that time. It has been an exceptional turnaround from the ex-Manchester United legend. Not only in the points tally they have accumulated but the transition to a possession-based style, they have in fact now average the fourth highest possession in the entire league at 57.3% per game. Additionally they are the second highest scorers in the division, scoring an impressive 71 goals on only behind runaway leaders Burnley.
With the profile of the squad already set-up – in theory – to play a possession-based style, the transition would hopefully be seamless for the Foxes. Prying Carrick away from the promotion hopefuls before the end of the season would be extremely difficult. It may be a case of waiting how the entirety of the season plays out before approaching. But Carrick’s philosophy may in fact be the closest regarding style of play. The main difference of course bringing a manager to with fresh ideas and structure to the group something that is desperately needed in what has looked like a directionless team all season.