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Football

24th Feb 2019

Chris Sutton backs Brendan Rodgers to take Leicester City job

Jack O'Toole

Former Celtic striker Chris Sutton has backed current Hoops manager Brendan Rodgers to succeed Claude Puel at Leicester City.

Puel and Leicester parted ways on Sunday morning following the club’s 4-1 loss to Crystal Palace on Saturday and Rodgers and Newcastle United manager Rafael Benitez are already being linked with taking the top job at the club.

Rodgers has won two successive Scottish trebles with Celtic and Sutton believes the former Liverpool manager may have taken the club as far as he can take them.

“I can see it happening,” Sutton said on BT Sport.

“I know John Hartson said the opposite last night that he thinks that he’s going to stay and that [Celtic] this is his dream job well we’ll find out now.

“I just wonder whether Brendan has taken Celtic as far as he feels that they can go. I think European football has been an issue and Brendan said last week that maybe Celtic have found their level but it’s a very, very attractive job in terms of they have some fantastic young players but also we’re going to see how much Celtic and Peter Lawwell [Celtic CEO] want to back him.

“We mentioned last week about short-term loans, losing the centre-half partnership in the summer so all things being equal at the moment I think Brendan will be off.”

Meanwhile Sutton’s former teammate at Celtic John Hartson thinks that Rodgers will stay with the club and that he feels that he will be motivated by improving the club’s recent record in European competition.

“I would be amazed if Brendan Rodgers came here because he is living the dream at Celtic,” Hartson said on BT Sport.

“He is in his dream job, he loves the city, he loves working with the young players and Celtic don’t have the finances to go big and spend millions and millions of pounds on new signings.

“If Brendan Rodgers was to go on and win that magical 10-in-a-row then he would be able to walk on water.

“He has managed Liverpool, he is very wealthy, it’s not about money. He is young, he has time on his hands to move from Celtic when the time is right.

“He plays European football most seasons at Celtic. For me he wants to improve them and get better results in Europe.

“They showed the other night against Valencia when it was 11 v 11 they looked more likely to get the first goal.

“I don’t see him leaving Celtic. He is on a long term contract, he is absolutely worshipped and I don’t think he will come to Leicester over Celtic.”

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