Jamie Redknapp backs Brendan Rodgers to succeed at ‘huge club’ Leicester City after leaving Celtic
The former Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur midfielder joined Drivetime to explain why the Northern Irishman is a better fit than Claude Puel
Jamie Redknapp has hailed Leicester City’s appointment of Brendan Rodgers.
The Northern Irishman stunned the footballing world when he left Celtic to replace the sacked Claude Puel on Tuesday.
Despite chasing an historic ‘treble treble’ in Scotland, Rodgers decided to assume the vacant managerial position at the King Power, much to the chagrin of Celt supporters.
However, Redknapp has defended the former Liverpool boss and insisted the lure of working at a ‘huge’ Premier League club is too good to turn down.
He said on Drive: “I think when you look at what Leicester have got – good young players; people like Chilwell, Demarai Gray, James Maddison – players you can work with.
“And when I think about Brendan, he is always encouraging young players.
“I was maybe a little bit surprised by the timing. He had the opportunity to do the ‘treble treble’. So an incredible feat what he has done there.
“I get the disappointment from the Celtic fans, but he wants to work in the Premier League and this is a big opportunity for him.
“I think Leicester is a huge club and they’ve got lots of money to spend.”
After sacking title-winner Claudio Ranieri in 2017, the Foxes brought in Craig Shakespeare for a stint in the King Power hot seat.
But, like Puel and Ranieri, his six-game losing streak was enough to convince the board a change was necessary.
And while former England international Redknapp concede fans should not expect to see another Premier League nestled in the trophy case, he believes Rodgers can take the club into Europe.
He added: “Can they win the title again? I think that was a miracle and one that we all celebrated and will probably be never done by a team like Leicester again.
“But, I think when you look at the club; they’re talking about giving him £200million in the summer. Maybe they can establish themselves as a top six, top eight club.
“I don’t see how he can get further than that if I’m honest.
“But, I think that he is the right man for the club. I get it, they’ve had a couple of managers that haven’t really been the right fit.
“Claude Puel was obviously a good coach and I remember doing a few games with Thierry Henry who worked with him at Monaco and he said ‘A football man through and through’.
“But, when I used to see him on the sidelines – and even listening to his interviews – he’s not charismatic, he’s not the sort of manager that you really want to play for.
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“And I think with Brendan, he is the sort of person you want to play for; He loves football, he’s a good coach, he plays expansive football.
“I think he is a great fit for them, I really do.”