Leeds United takeover news: Brendan Rodgers could be 49ers Enterprises favourite target – Phil Hay
Brendan Rodgers is somebody who 49ers Enterprises would be “very tempted” to bring in if they takeover Leeds United this summer, according to Phil Hay.
The former Liverpool and Celtic boss is out of work after being sacked by Leicester late in the season but could be the man to lead the Whites into the new era if there is a handover from Andrea Radrizzani at the top.
The Italian has had a deal in place for months to sell his shares to the American outfit if the club stay up, but with relegation the more likely scenario going into the final day there appears to be no comparable agreement yet.
It is unlikely that Sam Allardyce remains at Elland Road longer than the four games to end the season and Hay believes Northern Irishman Rodgers could be the preferred option for the prospective new owners.
Speaking on The Phil Hay Show (26 May, 25m 30s) on the subject of what comes next he said: “Who’s the head coach going to be? If 49ers Enterprises get in the door, I think they’ll be very keen, or very tempted, to land somebody like Brendan Rodgers if they can.”
Rebuild
The wheels eventually came off for Rodgers at the King Power but an FA Cup win and threatening the Champions League places prior to this year was a solid record.
It appears to be in the club’s interest for the long-mooted takeover to go through, especially with Radrizzani already looking ahead to Sampdoria.
So if the chaos in the boardroom that has wrecked the current campaign can be calmed by the 49ers taking full control, perhaps Rodgers would be able to do the same on the pitch where nothing has worked for a sustained period since Marcelo Bielsa was sacked.
A CV that contains a major trophy haul in Scotland, a cup win in his previous job, and going close for the title at Anfield would suggest that he could get offers higher than the Championship.
So it would surely take 49ers Enterprises to sell him on the project over the long term, especially given his experiences at the end with Leicester.
But given some stability and backed sufficiently in the transfer market there is reason to believe that he could be the man to build something at Elland Road in a way that means something where the whistle-stop tour through Jesse Marsch, Javi Gracia and Allardyce hasn’t.
In other Leeds United news, the agents of a pair of closely-linked Whites aces are thought to already be searching for moves ahead of possible relegation.