Leicester City have waved goodbye to Brendan Rodgers after a poor run of form, with a 2-1 defeat to Crystal Palace coming as the final straw.
Rodgers won the FA Cup, reached a European semi-final and finished fifth in the league twice, but a sharp decline now leaves them in the relegation zone and clinging onto their Premier League status.
With a rebuild on the cards at the King Power Stadium, i takes a look at five contenders favoured to be next Leicester manager…
Thomas Frank
The Brentford boss is currently the bookies’ favourite to head to the east Midlands again, having been initially linked to the Leicester job at the beginning of this season when Rodgers’ side registered a single point from seven games, and a 6-2 loss to Tottenham prompted an inquest.
Leicester could face stiff competition considering the Dane has already been linked to filling Antonio Conte’s spot at Spurs, no doubt a more lucrative project for Frank to sink his teeth into. Either way, it’s a struggle to justify why Frank would swap the lofty heights of seventh place at Brentford with the task of leading the Foxes away from calamity.
Rafa Benitez
Rafa Benitez was another previously linked to Rodgers’ job at the beginning of the season.
Benitez’s stock has dropped in recent years. A relegation battle would have previously been out of his wheelhouse, but disaster at Everton and a venture to China interrupted by the pandemic has sapped the shine off the Spaniard’s reputation.
Leicester main problem has been their defence. Only Nottingham Forest and Bournemouth have conceded more Premier League goals and they both sit above Leicester in the table. Benitez’s strengths lie in correcting a poor defence, and therefore he may be the best man for the job.
Next Leicester City manager odds
- Thomas Frank: 5-1
- Ange Postecoglou: 17-2
- Rafa Benitez: 9-1
- Marcelo Bielsa: 10-1
- Mauricio Pochettino: 10-1
- Ralph Hasenhuttl: 10-1
- Ruud Van Nistelrooy: 14-1
- Ole Gunnar Solskjaer: 16-1
- Daniel Farke: 16-1
- Scott Parker: 16-1
- Neil Lennon: 16-1
Odds via Betfair, correct at 3pm on 2 April
Marcelo Bielsa
The former Leeds manager is favoured by the bookies, behind Benitez and Frank, to head to Leicester. The Argentine’s name is forever talked about when it comes to Premier League openings now after his Elland Road departure, but the likelihood of such a move doesn’t look likely.
Regardless, he would bring an infectious attitude to the players and fans alike at the King Power, and rejuvenate the club’s ambitions, tactical style and the belief that the fans have in the club.
He has recently been linked with the Uruguay national team job.
Ralph Hasenhuttl
Ralph Hasenhuttl has yet to step back into the world of managment after his Southampton sacking last year. Despite murmurs of him joining struggling Bundesliga side Hoffenheim, the Austrian could be lured back to the Premier League by the prospect of a Leicester rebuild.
His name is already on the lips of Leicester fans on social media, and the heavy pressing style he would attempt to implement could lead to a reinvigorated belief in the club from supporters.
Mauricio Pochettino
This appointment looked totally unlikely until an apparent snub from Daniel Levy that looks to have ended the Argentine’s hopes of returning to Spurs – much to the dismay of that club’s fans.
Pochettino has been waiting to step back into management since receiving the inevitable boot for failing to deliver a Champions League trophy to PSG. With his chances elsewhere dashed, and Chelsea seemingly reluctant to say goodbye to Graham Potter, Leicester may represent a suitable project for Pochettino to regain some of his value.
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