TalkSport pundit Simon Jordan has claimed that Leicester City boss Brendan Rodgers should be considered for the England job if Gareth Southgate leaves.
There has been much speculation over Southgate’s future following England’s exit from the World Cup in the quarter-finals after losing to France, and the Northern Irishman has been touted by Jordan as an experienced manager who could replace him.
The Foxes had a poor start to the season and they remain 13th in the Premier League, having been bottom for a long spell of the campaign.
Rodgers has been at Leicester since 2019 and has won the FA Cup as well as finishing in fifth place on two occasions.
Speaking on TalkSport, Jordan claimed that although Rodgers is not an elite coach, he is nearly at that level and understands the culture within the England team, having managed Swansea City and Liverpool in the past.
He said: “I would give serious consideration to Brendan Rodgers. I would look at him. I thought he was a bit of a flake last season, but I think that’s the exception that doesn’t prove the rule.
“With Liverpool, he took them very close and people could say with that frontline of Suarez, Sturridge and Sterling, then he should’ve been close and that they bottled it in the last minute with a draw at Crystal Palace.
“You go to Celtic, and you say that whatever he did at Celtic, he had to win, and he won, and he won, and he won.
“He went to Leicester and won the FA Cup. I think if you need a diplomat and someone who can play that silly game, he can do that.
“I think he’s a decent coach, and I think if you’re looking at someone that understands the indigenous culture of this country, despite the fact he’s an Irishman, he would be someone I’d look at and go, ‘okay, I think you’re close to being elite, I don’t think you’re an elite manager, but you’re as close as we’re going to get potentially managing this team with the culture that the English team now requires.”
TIF Thoughts on Rodgers and England…
We think Rodgers could be a smart appointment for the England side given that he already knows some of the players well such as Ben Chilwell, James Maddison and Raheem Sterling, while his track record shows that he can win trophies.
He could be the one to take the side to the next level after Southgate came so close to success, and with his vast experience in the Premier League, he would arrive as a much more proven manager than the former Middlesbrough manager had when he took over in 2016 – albeit with less time at international level than the current boss.
His Liverpool and Leicester sides were full of goals, and with the attacking talent England currently possess in Harry Kane, Bukayo Saka and Phil Foden, we think he could get the side playing attractive football while competing for the biggest trophies.