Brendan Rodgers says he sympathises with Leicester City supporters for the lack of excitement around the club in the early weeks of the new Premier League season. Rodgers has said he feels for supporters that they do not have new faces to cheer on, and has reaffirmed his commitment to getting the most out of the players he does have. The Northern Irishman said he still loves the club where he has managed 171 games, his longest stint at any side, following 169 games at Celtic and 166 with Liverpool.
Brendan Rodgers said: “What I know is that I’ve got a group of players that are so keen to learn. I love working with them. It’s the longest I’ve ever been at a club, which tells you how much I love working with the players here and being involved with the football club. My ambition is to always improve and develop and that’s what we’ll look to do again this year. If we don’t have these resources to improve and develop, then we have to try to find other ways to be able to do that. The people I feel for at the minute for the supporters. Every single season, supporters travel to pre-season games and it’s great to be able to see two, three, four new players, how they’re getting on, and that builds the expectation and excitement for the season. For them, for this season, I really feel for them, that’s the honesty of it. They’ve had no-one new to look at. There’s only Wardy (goalkeeper Danny Ward) who has come into the team. That’s what the season is about. We can only say to them that we’re doing everything we possibly can here. Even if we haven’t had new signings, the players are fighting hard, and they’re going to continue to work hard and then we’ll see where it takes us.”
Rodgers previously said there would need to be “different expectations” of his side if they did not make any signings. He is not yet willing to pinpoint what those expectations will be, while there are still a couple of weeks to go in the transfer window.
Brendan Rodgers said: “Let’s see where we’re at in a few weeks when we’re into early September. What I do know is that I’ve got a really good group of players. We had a challenging pre-season up to this point, in terms of a psychological perspective. You narrow the focus in on keeping your eye on the football, but it can unsettle, there’s no doubt about that. For me, we’ll wait to see where we are when the window ends. With a few weeks to go, you never know, something might drop for us and then we can push on. Either way, if it doesn’t, we’ll be doing everything we possibly can, every single day, from early morning to late at night, to keep developing and be as competitive as we can be.”
Brendan Rodgers insisted this part of the season is “tricky” due to speculation and unrest. Rodgers also says there have been no fresh bids for any other players and without any sales he is unable to bring in any reinforcements. Having taken one point from their opening two games, the former Liverpool and Celtic boss admits it is a testing time, while he has not made a single addition to his squad this summer.
Brendan Rodgers said: “There is no denying it, any manager will tell you it’s always a tricky period, your season has started, you’re trying to get focused. You spend summer creating this really powerful collective unit to see you through the season and then through this period there’s speculation. You have to remember these are very young guys, for some of them it’s the first time they’ve experienced these situations. There can always be disruption but the idea is to keep the group focused. The minute the window shuts it all ends but while we’re in this period it’s challenging. Every manager would want to strengthen and I’m no different to the others but if we are unable to do it…concentrate on what you have. I have some fantastic players here, a wonderful group,. If we can keep them fit and get luck with injuries I still think we can have a really good season.”
There were reports that 21-year-old Wesley Fofana had asked Leicester to accept a lower fee offer while Rodgers has denied the player handed in a transfer request. The young French defender is subject to interest from the likes of Chelsea, and his saga could have been causing further disruption in the dressing room. However, asked to clear up the speculation,
Brendan Rodgers added: “Yes, I can, he hasn’t. He’s a great kid. He’s loved by his team-mates. He’s a great personality. He’s still developing. He’s nowhere near the finished article. We’ve spoken numbers of times about the whole situation and of course a private conversation. Our communication is normal, and we just continue to prepare for the games. It’s a challenge for any player and for clubs around this time when the window is open, and there’s lots of speculation and lots of noise that goes on with it, and especially for a young player – 21 – all the speculation that has surrounded it. That’s why we’re here, to help and educate him in dealing with all these rumours. The focus is very much on the team and getting them ready for the weekend.”
