BRENDAN RODGERS will feel at ease when he leads Leicester City to Anfield on Saturday, but he won’t be able to remain in his previous home.
The Foxes leader owns a home in neighboring Formby, but he rents it to Jurgen Klopp, the man who succeeded him as Liverpool manager in 2015.
Instead of nursing a grudge against his successor, Rodgers, 46, has admitted that renting the spectacular house to Klopp was his idea.
“I am the type of person who is happy for the club and especially happy for players like Jordan and James Milner – players I worked with and had a strong relationship with,” he told the Telegraph.
“I was overjoyed for Jordan when he lifted the Champions League trophy because I know how hard he has worked for it.”
“I never intended to be bitter.” That is why I let Jurgen to live into my home! I had a strong relationship with Ray Haughan – the player liaison officer – and he told me Jurgen was struggling to find somewhere to live so I said, ‘Listen, I am moving to London for a bit and will not be there immediately, so Jurgen could move in’.
“I know what it’s like to be a manager going to a new location and wanting your family to be established and happy. You want them to be in a nice situation. He bought the house and has been living there ever since.
“I wanted him to succeed and the club to succeed.”
Klopp, 52, has settled in nicely in the house, which has an indoor pool.
However, when Rodgers returned to the Premier League as manager of Leicester, the German quipped that the property had a few faults.
“We have a lot to talk about,” he remarked.
“The plumbing issue, electricity, the pool and stuff like that.”
RODGERS MAKES A RETURN
When Leicester plays Liverpool, it will be Rodgers’ first visit to Anfield as a manager since being fired.
After come so close to snapping Liverpool’s Premier League drought in the 2013/14 season but finishing two points behind Man City, the Northern Irishman can return with his head held high.
Rodgers was unable to build on such foundations when Luis Suarez left for Barcelona.
“We came so close, and ideally you want to build on that,” added the Foxes manager, “but then you lose a world-class player.” We had lost our sense of self.
“It went a bit pragmatic in order to get results, and I wasn’t watching a team play the way I believe in because we couldn’t press high from the front.” That was not the journey I desired.
“However, you should know that my third season was arguably one of my best coaching years in terms of experience.”
“We made Raheem [Sterling] the central striker and went on a great run, so from a coaching perspective it was good to see we could show aggression and find a way.”