beIN SPORTS presenter Richard Keys has claimed that Leicester City manager Brendan Rodgers once made it clear to him that he wanted the Arsenal job.
The Foxes boss has come into the running for the Emirates Stadium post after Unai Emery was dismissed last week. However, he has a terrific job on his hands at the King Power, leading to plenty of debate over whether the Northern Irishman would take the Gunners position.
Keys feels he would: “He’d take the job in [a] heart beat – and now if he had to,” he wrote on his website. “And he’d be right as well. I’ve mentioned my taxi ride with him before. He was with us here at beINSPORTS after losing his job at Liverpool.
“I won’t go into detail, but during the journey back to his hotel, he left me with absolutely no doubt that Arsenal’s was the job he coveted, but he had to be careful how he got there.
“If he wasn’t going to get it post Wenger, then he had to make the right choices to still be in contention down the line. He chose brilliantly – won a bucket load of trophies at Celtic and now he’s got Leicester the closest to Liverpool. They’re not going to – but could you imagine how he’d feel if he denied them this title? He must’ve thought about it.
“Rodgers has proven what a good coach he is. He remains a little too verbose for my liking, but he’s got something going at Leicester. And he’s tamed a notoriously difficult dressing room. Would he leave Leicester now? You bet he would. He’s already shown that he’s prepared to make big decisions by walking out on Celtic and the prospect of a ‘treble treble’.”
Would Rodgers really jump ship for Arsenal?
This is interesting stuff from Keys, it really is. You never know quite what to believe with him, because he has a veneer of untrustworthiness, but there’s no reason to say that this conversation with Rodgers didn’t happen as he says.
Why Arsenal would be the job the Leicester boss wanted above all others is a bit of a mystery, to be honest. The Gunners are a massive club, of course, but they’re hardly alone in that. Still, apparently the Northern Irishman fancies himself at the Emirates.
Obviously the 46-year-old showed his ruthless streak by walking out on the Celtic job to take over at Leicester, but that doesn’t mean he would do the same for Arsenal.
At this moment in time it’s a significant step down the table for him to take the Arsenal job. Plus, he’s arguably got a better squad on his hands at the King Power. It’s tough to say whether he’d make the switch or not, but you certainly can’t rule it out.
