Brendan Rodgers lays Leicester City’s problems bare and swipes at their owner

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‘This isn’t the club it was. We needed help… and we haven’t had it’: Brendan Rodgers lays Leicester City’s problems bare – and swipes at their owner – as he tops the odds for next manager to be sacked

  • Brendan Rodgers has hit out at Leicester City’s owner for the club’s poor form
  • Rodgers, 49, claims he received ‘no help’ during the summer transfer window
  • He lost Wesley Fofana to Chelsea and Kasper Schmeichel to Nice this summer
  • Rodgers signed Reims defender Wout Faes but there was little action otherwise 
  • The manager insists ‘Leicester isn’t the club that it was a couple of years ago’ 

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Brendan Rodgers has hit out at Leicester City’s owner for failing to ‘help’ recruit new players during the summer transfer window. 

Leicester are currently sitting bottom of the Premier League table after picking up just one point from their first five games of the 2022-2023 campaign. 

Rodgers said he ‘understands the fans’ frustration’ as ‘this isn’t the club that it was a couple of years ago’ but blames Leicester’s recruitment system for their poor form.L

Brendan Rodgers has hit out at Leicester City's owner for failing to 'help' recruit new players

Brendan Rodgers has hit out at Leicester City’s owner for failing to ‘help’ recruit new players

Speaking after Leicester’s 1-0 defeat to Manchester United on Thursday evening, Rodgers said: ‘This isn’t the club that it was a couple of years ago.’

He continued: ‘I understand the fans’ frustration. They see all their rivals getting players in and we’re not getting any. With the greatest respect, we have not had the help in the market this team needed. 

Leicester are currently sitting bottom of the Premier League table after losing to Man United

Leicester are currently sitting bottom of the Premier League table after losing to Man United

Leicester are currently sitting bottom of the Premier League table after losing to Man United 

Manchester United beat Leicester 1-0 after Jadon Sancho scored the only goal of the game

Manchester United beat Leicester 1-0 after Jadon Sancho scored the only goal of the game

Manchester United beat Leicester 1-0 after Jadon Sancho scored the only goal of the game 

‘To watch clubs in the top five leagues add players and we haven’t been able to do that has been difficult. We needed help and we haven’t been able to do that.

ODDS ON NEXT PREMIER LEAGUE MANAGER TO BE SACKED

Brendan Rodgers4/6

Steven Gerrard 4/1

Frank Lampard10/1

Bruno Lage12/1

Thomas Tuchel12/1

– According to Oddschecker

‘I came to Leicester to compete and initially I was able to do that. You have to add quality but in the last two [transfer] windows we haven’t been able to do that.

‘I would have loved to have added five or six players but if you can’t do that you have to respect it and work with what we have.’

Leicester suffered a 1-0 defeat to Manchester United on Thursday evening after Jadon Sancho scored the only goal of the game in the 23rd minute. 

Rodgers and his players were booed off the pitch after the full-time whistle went – having picked up just one point in five Premier League games. 

As a result, Rodgers has been tipped as the next manager in the English top-flight to be sacked.

However, Rodgers has blamed Leicester’s recruitment system for their poor start to the 2022-2023 campaign – claiming he had ‘no help’ during the transfer window. 

Rodgers managed to hold onto to James Maddison, Harvey Barnes and Youri Tielemans during the summer window but failed to enhance his squad. 

The Northern Irish manager also lost Wesley Fofana to Chelsea and Kasper Schmeichel to Nice this summer. 

Rodger's is frustrated at owner Aiyawatt Srivaddhanaprabha for his lack of 'help' this summer

Rodger's is frustrated at owner Aiyawatt Srivaddhanaprabha for his lack of 'help' this summer

Rodger’s is frustrated at owner Aiyawatt Srivaddhanaprabha for his lack of ‘help’ this summer

Rodgers lost Wesley Fofana (right) to Chelsea and Kasper Schmeichel to Nice this summer

Rodgers lost Wesley Fofana (right) to Chelsea and Kasper Schmeichel to Nice this summer

Rodgers lost Wesley Fofana (right) to Chelsea and Kasper Schmeichel to Nice this summer

He did manage to replace Fofana with Reims defender Wout Faes for £15m but fans were left feel frustrated by the club’s lack of new recruits. 

Rodgers also vented his frustration at Leicester’s lack of business in the transfer window.  

His rant came shortly after Scott Parker criticised Bournemouth’s activity in the transfer market this summer.

Parker insisted his young team were ‘underequipped’ to take on the challenge of the Premier League after earning promotion last season. 

His comments came after Bournemouth’s 9-0 defeat to Liverpool. 

Parker was fired by the club just three days after his outburst as his relationship with chief executive Neill Blake and technical director Richard Hughes was clearly broken. 

Rodgers' rant came after Scott Parker criticised Bournemouth's activity in the transfer market

Rodgers' rant came after Scott Parker criticised Bournemouth's activity in the transfer market

Rodgers’ rant came after Scott Parker criticised Bournemouth’s activity in the transfer market

Rodgers is equally frustrated with his own club – claiming they are not the same team they used to be… and he is quite right. 

Leicester won the Premier League in 2016 and then the FA Cup under Rodgers in 2021. However, they have failed to succeed since. 

The Foxes have also missed out on Champions League football more than once. They failed to keep hold of their top four spot twice while under the tutelage of Rodgers – dropping out of the race on the final day of the season. 

However, Aiyawatt Srivaddhanaprabha has denied claims Leicester’s downfall is due to his family and insists they are committed to the club. 

In his programme notes, he said: ‘The club is as safe in our hands as it has been every day for the last 12 years. It’s our commitment to that responsibility that drives every decision we make. 

‘Sometimes, that commitment means making difficult, short-term decisions that protect the club’s long-term interests, such as our approach to this summer’s transfer window.’

LEICESTER’S PROGRAMME NOTES 

‘First and foremost, Leicester City’s overall financial position is entirely secure and underpinned by my ongoing personal commitment and that of my family.

‘The club is as safe in our hands as it has been every day for the last 12 years. It’s our commitment to that responsibility that drives every decision we make. Sometimes, that commitment means making difficult, short-term decisions that protect the club’s long-term interests, such as our approach to this summer’s transfer window.

‘Due to an increase in our net spend over recent seasons, some measures were necessary to ensure we manage our compliance with the game’s sustainability regulations. While we continue to build our wider revenue streams to compete with the established elite in the long-term, our short-term means of offsetting such expenditure is generating profits through player trading.

‘We did that successfully for five straight summer windows before 2021, where we opted to make further investments in the squad without a significant sale. This summer, we couldn’t risk unbalancing that equation further, so we decided space would need to be made in the squad before new additions could be brought in.’