Arsenal legend urges Chelsea to re-hire FA winning boss, this time in the front office

Paul Merson suggests Chelsea should appoint Brendan Rogers as their new manager

According to The Daily Mail, Paul Merson believes Brendan Rogers could be the ideal candidate to replace Graham Potter as the new Chelsea manager.

Yet, hours before Potter was fired, Rogers was also dismissed by Leicester City after their 2-1 loss to another struggling team, Crystal Palace. The stoppage time sucker punch was Rodgers’ final game in the Foxes’ dugout.

As the Foxes battle the relegation zone, Chelsea dropped to the bottom half of the standings after losing to Aston Villa by a score of 2-0. Both teams are currently without managers. Bruno Saltor has been employed by Chelsea as an interim manager for the time being.

The Blues are heavily linked with Luis Enrique, Julian Nagelsmann, and Mauricio Pochettino as the potential candidates to replace the 47-year-old.

Merson, however, believes Rogers should be appointed as Chelsea’s new manager because he feels the Irishman is the best candidate to lead the Blues forward. Rodgers is no stranger to Stamford Bridge having served as a coach under Jose Mourinho.

In a discussion with Sky Sports (h/t Daily Mail), the Merson stated:

‘I would like to see Brendan Rodgers at Chelsea… I’m a big Brendan Rodgers fan. Unfortunately, things have gone horribly wrong in Leicester. In football, it all comes down to timing, and let’s be honest, if Leicester were where Brighton are now, everyone would be calling for Rodgers to go to Chelsea.”

‘Rodgers ticks every box: he plays on the front foot, he started his coaching career at Chelsea, and he knows the club. Chelsea fans will question why they should turn to a manager who has just been sacked by Leicester.”

One of the finest Premier League managers, Rogers has led many major teams, including Liverpool. He also almost led the Reds to the Premier League title in 2013–14, but Steven Gerrard’s misstep affected the outcome of the title as they fell to Chelsea 2-0 on April 27. Yet, the fact that he led the Foxes to the FA Cup and Community Shield shouldn’t overshadow his accomplishments.

However, his record as a manager is inconsistent. Since taking over Leicester in 2019, his team has never finished in the top four despite staying there for an extended period of time.

More Chelsea News:

• Thomas Tuchel claims Chelsea have changed massively since his sacking
• Julian Nagelsmann favourite to replace Graham Potter as Chelsea manager
• Glen Johnson claims Chelsea target Victor Osimhen hasn’t done enough for Didier Drogba comparisons

Rodgers failed to make the most of openings he received at both Liverpool and Leicester City. While he might have won the FA up with the latter, Chelsea will need someone better to fulfill their lofty ambitions.