The departure of Brendan Rodgers from Leicester City is the culmination of a dramatic fall from grace for both club and manager – with the fear of falling even further the catalyst behind the move.
Rodgers arrived at the Foxes in February 2019 after winning all seven domestic trophies available to him during a successful tenure at Celtic, leaving the adoration he enjoyed at Parkhead to succeed Claude Puel at the King Power Stadium.
And for a time, 50-year-old Rodgers enhanced a reputation as one of the most progressive coaches in the game as Leicester produced the attacking football that was his trademark, the high point being the club’s first FA Cup victory when Thomas Tuchel’s Chelsea were beaten 1-0 at Wembley in May 2021.
It assured Rodgers of his place in Leicester history but Saturday’s last-minute defeat at Crystal Palace, now under the guidance of returning veteran Roy Hodgson, was the final straw for owners who suddenly saw the spectre of relegation come into even sharper view and could not wait any longer for Rodgers to show signs of inspiring a revival.
Leicester are in the bottom three after six league games without a win, that fear of the drop forcing the board to act in the manner of fellow strugglers Everton, Leeds United and Southampton by wielding the axe.
Rodgers deserves credit for his FA Cup success but his time at the King Power Stadium will also be defined by two devastating final days of Premier League seasons that shaped his and the club’s ability to enjoy further success.
On the surface, finishing fifth in both 2019/20 and 20/21 represented fine achievements but the fact Leicester missed out on Champions League football on the final day both times as they lost 2-0 to Manchester United then latterly 4-2 to Tottenham meant bitter disappointment.
The FA Cup win rightly allowed the 2021 season to be painted in a glorious light – was the club’s first FA Cup not better as tangible success than finishing fourth in the league?
However, it could also be suggested with some justification the loss to Spurs the following week was the beginning of the end for Rodgers and Leicester City as operators in the upper echelons, a time which also saw that magnificent against the odds title win in 2015/16.
These were savage blows because Leicester not only lost out on the profile of Champions League football but also the riches that came with it, the club’s owners and chairman Aiyawatt Srivaddhanaprabha subsequently pulling in the purse strings to ensure they did not fall foul of Financial Fair Play rules.
Leicester reached the semi-finals of the inaugural Europa Conference League last season but they faded amid inconsistency in the league, finishing eighth.
The decline has continued this season, with Rodgers unable to revamp his squad, influential title-winning keeper Kasper Schmeichel leaving for Nice and time finally catching up with talismanic 36-year-old striker Jamie Vardy.
There were question marks over the club’s recruitment under Rodgers although they suffered a blow in the summer when one his biggest successes Wesley Fofana, signed from St. Etienne for £36.5m in October 2020, moved to Chelsea for an initial £70m fee on the final day of the transfer window after missing much of the previous season with a broken leg.
Leicester’s squad was clearly in need of hefty renewal but they did not sign an outfield player until the final day of the summer transfer window.
Harry Souttar, Victor Kristiansen and Tete came in at a cost of £30m in January but Rodgers could not fashion a consistent upturn and the graph has only been heading in one direction lately.
There was also a belief that Rodgers should have been getting more out of squad still laced with quality in the shape of players such as James Maddison, Youri Tielemans and Harvey Barnes. He was also unable to solve long-running defensive flaws that saw cheap goals conceded on an infuriatingly regular basis.
Impressive wins away at Aston Villa and home to Spurs, 4-2 and 4-1 respectively, hinted at improvement but they were false dawns and FA Cup fifth-round loss at home to Championship side Blackburn Rovers was damaging for Rodgers and Leicester.
And now, with 10 league games to go, he has paid the price and the Leicester hierarchy must decide their next move.
It will be a desperate personal setback for Rodgers, who rebuilt his reputation at Celtic after his sacking at Liverpool in October 2015, obtaining hero status with one half of Glasgow before angering many fans by leaving to move back to the Premier League at Leicester City.
For a time he regained his previous status as a sought-after manager, linked with a variety of jobs from Arsenal to Spurs and even – unlikely admittedly given his previous links with Liverpool – Manchester United. He was touted in some quarters as having the credentials to manager at international level, with England mentioned.
Rodgers was exuding positivity even in defeat at Selhurst Park. Instead this was the end of his time at Leicester.
The personable Rodgers will certainly be an attraction for clubs in the future, including those in the Premier League, but the high-end posts will be out of reach for now after the manner of his end at Leicester.
Rodgers, a Spanish speaker, has talked in the past about being open to working abroad and it easy to see his undoubted coaching skills transitioning into that environment.
He has also seen contemporary Roberto Martinez, who managed across Stanley Park at Everton when Rodgers was at Liverpool and was one of his predecessors at Swansea City, land plum international jobs with Belgium then Portugal
Rodgers will rightly feel he is at least the equal of the Spaniard in terms of stature, ability and successes.
For now, though, Leicester City will attempt to secure their short-term future after taking this emergency action while Rodgers will take stock and ponder his long-term prospects.
