Where could Brendan Rodgers go next after Leicester sacking?
The margins in football can be tiny in football. Had Leicester hung on for another minute or so against Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park, it’s likely that Brendan Rodgers would still be in work.
They didn’t, though, and the former Celtic and Liverpool boss paid the price.
While he leaves Leicester in the Premier League relegation zone, Rodgers himself has probably enhances his own reputation during his four-year spell at the King Power Stadium.
He shouldn’t be short on offers for his next job, so let’s take a look at the clubs who are most likely to come calling.
1. Tottenham
Tottenham will likely have their eyes on bigger, more glamorous names for when they eventually get around to replacing Antonio Conte, but if their recent managerial history is anything to go by they may quickly find Rodgers an attractive option.
His experience at Liverpool and Celtic speaks well of his ability to deal with expectation. Tottenham will like that. He is also free and won’t require any compensation to be paid to anyone. Spurs will outright love that.
2. West Ham
There is a case to be made that both West Ham and Leicester would have both been a lot better off this season had they simply swapped managers.
Leicester needed to grind out ugly results better, while West Ham have technical players who are a little beyond David Moyes’ methods.
90min understands that the Hammers this summer regardless of whether or not the club retains their Premier League status, and Rodgers would be an excellent replacement.
3. Chelsea
It’s very difficult to see Graham Potter surviving long at Chelsea and Rodgers might just fit the vision that Todd Bohley has, whatever that is.
Chelsea is a club that Rodgers knows well with him having been the reserve team coach there at the start of his career. They will probably be looking for a coach who can develop the young talent their seemingly endless transfer obsession is acquiring without making too much of a fuss.
Rodgers may well be seen as a very strong candidate to fulfil that remit.
4. Crystal Palace
It was Crystal Palace who delivered the fatal blow to Rodgers’ Leicester tenure after Jean-Philippe Mateta scored an injury time winner against the Foxes at Selhurst Park.
It was wily old Roy Hodgson who masterminded that win, but it’s clear the former England boss will be gone again this summer.
The Eagles appeared committed to evolving their style of play to a more technical and tactical game a couple of years ago, and if that is still their objective then Rodgers might be the right man at the right time.
5. Nottingham Forest
The Forest board were rewarded for sticking with Steve Cooper when the pressure was on earlier in the season, but he will be cannon fodder if they sink into the relegation zone at this stage of the season.
Should that happen and Cooper goes, Rodgers would surely be at the very top of their wanted list.
Whether he would want it though is another matter entirely. There is every chance Rodgers will bide his time and wait for the right job rather than choosing to parachute himself into a desperate situation somewhere.