Brendan Rodgers: Ready for a Big Club?
Leicester City boss Brendan Rodgers has had a magnificent season with The Foxes in the Premier League and they currently sit in the top four quite comfortably.
After having a successful spell with Celtic, the Northern Irishman returned to England with The Midlands outfit and has now made them a formidable side.
Rodgers endured major success with Celtic - winning a total of 7 trophies in the a span of 3 years.
He has been linked with big teams before, with his last position in England being with Liverpool before being replaced by Jurgen Klopp.
Since then, he has proved to be a serial winner up in Scotland and has transformed the 15/16 Premier League Champions into a side that could challenge the top 6 more frequently.
With all this in mind, should bigger clubs in England and Europe be keeping tabs on Rodgers? and could we see him managing in Europe’s highest competition of the Champions League?
How good is he?
From recent seasons the Northern Irishman has had a fruitful spell with trophies and completed a domestic treble in what would be his penultimate season for Celtic.
If you compare that to the likes of José Mourinho in the last few years he has; been sacked by Chelsea, won the Europa League and League Cup before then being sacked by Manchester United and is now currently at Tottenham Hotspur.
Whilst ‘The Special one’ has won some higher profile silverware, compared to Rodgers, the Leicester City boss has had more consistency over the last few years unlike his former mentor.
Rodgers worked with Mourinho as Reserve Manager in 2006.
Most people will also remember his Liverpool side that was ever so close to get their first Premier League trophy before a collapse at the very end saw them lose their title challenge.
But he has also had other success with his rise to fame being at Swansea and winning the Championship playoff to promote the Welsh side into the Premier League.
From all this, Rodgers has established himself as a top manager with his successful stints which shows that he has the capability to go to the next level but could he?
Rodgers capable of big club pressures
Whilst his Liverpool career did not end on the best of terms, he picked himself up and made a name for himself in Scotland.
However, his experience at the Merseyside team has major benefits, especially his dealing with world class players, such as Luis Suarez.
Had it not been for Rodgers, the Uruguayan striker seemed desperate to move down to North London but was convinced to stay for what would be a goal mad season for the striker and a key force in Liverpool’s title challenge.
The pair had a good working relationship with each other and most of the time the Northern Irishman helped keep Suarez grounded and sometimes would make public anger if any serious crime had been committed.
Whilst he did fail to bring in a trophy at Liverpool, he did help make young players become better - most notably Raheem Sterling who is now considered as one of the best wingers in the Premier League.
Had Rodgers not seen that, we may not have seen Sterling till a later date or even in the top-flight!
As well as that… his eye for a transfer target can prove to be successful.
Most people may forget but Roberto Firmino was a Rodgers signing and has proved to be a very popular character at Anfield ever since.
He has been linked with big clubs before, most recently being Arsenal in December, but decided to turn it down.
This shows that the bigger clubs look to be keeping tabs on the manager and perhaps we shall see him in a top club sooner rather than later.
Should he Stay or Should he go?
From all this, in my eyes he is more than ready to handle a big club and from his previous experiences of now winning and losing titles, it has made him become a better manager.
The work he has done at Leicester is remarkable.
Rodgers has turned the Foxes players into better ones, but what could he do if he worked with world class players?
Whether the club would be in England or Europe, wherever he would go, I’m sure he would make a success of it.
Should Rodgers be given a second chance at a big club?
Have your say in the comments section below.
Article by: Matthew Bannister
Formatted by: Samuel Slaney
Thumbnail and Image Captions by: Samuel Slaney
Images interpreted from: Getty Images