Brendan Rodgers: Leicester City leaves Premier League strugglers after four years
Leicester have parted company with manager Brendan Rodgers after four years, as they look to maintain their Premier League status.
The Foxes dropped into the bottom three after Saturday’s last-gasp defeat at Crystal Palace, which extended their winless run to six games, and the Northern Irishman became the odds-on favourite to leave his job.
Rodgers, who joined the club from Celtic in February 2019, delivered two top-five finishes in the Premier League and the club’s first ever FA Cup success in 2021.
Chairman Aiyawatt Srivaddhanaprabha said in a statement: “Performances and results during the current season have been below our shared expectations.
“It had been our belief that continuity and stability would be key to correcting our course, particularly given our previous achievements under Brendan’s management.
“Regrettably, the desired improvement has not been forthcoming and, with 10 games of the season remaining, the board is compelled to take alternative action to protect our Premier League status.
“The task ahead of us in our final 10 games is clear. We now need to come together – fans, players and staff – and show the poise, quality and fight to secure our position as a Premier League club.”
Rodgers’ assistant Chris Davies and first-team fitness coach Glen Driscoll have also left.
First-team coaches Adam Sadler and Mike Stowell have been put in immediate caretaker charge, tasked with preparing the side for Tuesday’s crunch clash with Aston Villa.
Rodgers took over from Claude Puel in February 2019 and immediately set about turning the Foxes into European challengers.
They twice missed out on Champions League qualification with final-day defeats – finishing fifth in 2019/20 and 2020/21 – but Rodgers did get his side over the line in the 2021 FA Cup as the club won the famous competition for the first time in their history.
They reached their first ever European semi-final last season with a run to the last four of the inaugural Europa Conference League before losing to Roma.
But the landscape of the club changed in the summer, with financial constraints seeing a number of players leave – including star defender Wesley Fofana – and only one outfield player coming in.
They started the campaign terribly, losing six of their first seven games, before picking up form and heading towards mid-table.
However, a run of six games, including defeats against relegation rivals Southampton and Palace, proved too much and the board instigated the change.
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