Tottenham Hotspur could now turn to Brendan Rodgers in their search for a new manager, according to reports…
Tottenham manager news – Brendan Rodgers' chances are increasing
Football Insider claim that the 50-year-old is an attractive prospect for chairman Daniel Levy and the Lilywhites hierarchy, with contact already being made since his departure from Leicester City earlier in the week.
It's thought that the former Celtic and Liverpool boss has a "good chance" of taking the vacant managerial role at Hotspur Way, as per the website's sources, and the fact that he would not require any compensation to be hired is a bonus, considering how much the club have forked out on the likes of Jose Mourinho and Antonio Conte, who was sacked during the recent international break.
Levy has long admired the Northern Irishman, dating back to his time at Swansea City over a decade ago, having won the Championship playoffs in 2011.
Imagine Rodgers and James Maddison at Tottenham
When names such as Julian Nagelsmann and Luis Enrique are being bandied, Rodgers is hardly going to be the most exciting appointment but the recent failures of Mourinho and Conte – two of the game's perennial winners – have shown that Spurs is a poisoned chalice for many successful coaches.
It makes Rodgers an intriguing prospect, having won the FA Cup and Community Shield during his time at the King Power Stadium. The 50-year-old likes to deploy an "attractive, attack-minded" brand of football – in the eyes of journalist Henry Winter – and is thought to be one of the best in the game when it comes to man-management.
“He has been a revelation. He manages every single player differently, he knows we have different characters in the dressing room and his man-to-man, one-on-one management is the best I have known," once lauded Reds legend Steven Gerrard back in 2014.
Another benefit to hiring him could be in the transfer market, where Tottenham have long considered James Maddison a target – indeed, according to the Telegraph, the Lilywhites are leading the race to sign him in the summer and it's believed that the Foxes have already set his market price at £50m.
The north London outfit are desperate for a creative midfielder capable of playing through the middle and out on the wings, and the 26-year-old fits the bill. Last term, he provided 18 goals and 12 assists and despite Leicester's poor form, he has still proven to be a key player, with 15 goal contributions in 23 appearances and that includes a few outings with the captain's armband too.
There is no player in the current Spurs squad that has the ability to provide this from midfield, with a lot of their goalscoring and playmaking reliance coming from both Heung-min Son and Harry Kane.
It's why Maddison has been lauded as a "monster" by journalist Josh Bunting and a "magician" by analyst Statman Dave.
Both Rodgers and Maddison clearly struck up a good partnership in the Midlands, not just given the playmaker's impressive attacking midfield returns but also from his comments after the long-serving head coach was sacked.
" A top manager and even more importantly a brilliant and caring man. Your impact on my career and life outside of football is something I’ll be grateful for forever," he tweeted.
Darren Ambrose, former Crystal Palace star and well-known Spurs fan, is also behind Levy hiring the 50-year-old, as he believes he'd bring the England international with him and get the club "absolutely flying" again.
"Brendan Rodgers plays the type of football and the style that Spurs supporters like," he told talkSPORT. "The job he did at Leicester was remarkable. Maybe it is time for a new voice at Leicester, but bring [James] Maddison along to Spurs with you and they’ll be absolutely flying."
Therefore, Spurs could do little wrong in appointing the "football genius" – in the words of journalist Sid Lowe – as their next manager as he and Maddison could continue that frightening partnership in north London.