Steve Bruce expected to be relieved of his duties at Newcastle; Rodgers had been mentioned as a possible replacement but is happy at Leicester and believes there is much to achieve with his current squad
Friday 15 October 2021 16:23, UK
Brendan Rodgers has no interest in talking to Newcastle about the possibility of replacing Steve Bruce as manager, Sky Sports News has been told.
Former Liverpool and Celtic boss Rodgers, who led Leicester to FA Cup glory last season, had been mentioned in some quarters as a possible target for Newcastle's ownership.
But Rodgers is happy at Leicester and believes there is still much to achieve with the current squad.
And when asked if the Leicester project was his only concern during a press conference ahead of the Premier League clash against Manchester United, Brendan Rodgers replied: "One hundred per cent. I have got a contract until 2025, I absolutely love being here.
"I'm very fortunate. I've got a great chief executive and a director of football who I have a close relationship with and a group of players that I really, really enjoy working with.
"We have an infrastructure here that allows us to look to compete, so as long as they don't want to move me then I'm very happy being here at the club.
"I've seen all the reports around it but of course it doesn't help anyone, particularly Newcastle and (their current manager) Steve (Bruce).
"It's the type of week that I don't like in the modern game.
"Managers and coaches work hard to do the best for our teams and then we have speculation and gossip that goes around and it can destabilise supporters and maybe players, but it doesn't benefit anyone at all.
"Thankfully I've been in the game long enough now to just focus on my job and my role, and I'm very happy to do that."
Steve Bruce is currently in charge at St James' Park, but he is expected to be relieved of his duties following Newcastle's takeover by a Saudi Arabia-backed consortium.
After a trophy-laden stint at Celtic, the Northern Irishman took charge of Leicester in February 2019.
In his two full seasons in charge, he has twice led them to fifth-place finishes - and a 1-0 cup final defeat of Chelsea in May.
Newcastle's 14 years under the ownership of Mike Ashley came to an end last week when the takeover of the club by the Saudi-backed group was finalised.
Bruce has led Newcastle to 13th and 12th-place finishes in his two seasons in charge - but they have made a poor start this term and are second from bottom, with just three points from seven games.
Luis Campos - the man who helped turn Monaco and Lille into title winners in France - is one of several names under consideration to become Newcastle's new sporting director.
Only two teams other than Paris Saint-Germain have won the French League title in the past nine years - and the common factor between them is the 57-year-old Portuguese.
Newcastle's new owners have riches beyond most other clubs' dreams, but they have made it abundantly clear they want to run their new business in a sustainable way.
That is another reason why Campos fits the bill.
While taking Monaco and Lille to the top in France, Campos also made huge profits on player sales - more than £500m in only four years.
Peter Smith is joined by Sky Sports News reporter Keith Downie, as well as assistant news editor Lyall Thomas and football journalist Ron Walker to look ahead to the Premier League weekend…
PART 1 | Keith Downie answers the key questions about the Newcastle takeover, from transfer spending and how the new owners intend to take the club forwards to issues around human rights in Saudi Arabia.
PART 2 | Lyall Thomas and Ron Walker lift the lid on the story behind Brentford's impressive start to their first Premier League season and the secrets behind their steady progress in recent years.
PART 3 | As David Moyes prepares to take his current club to face his former club, we discuss the next steps for West Ham and Everton - and the impact Rafa Benitez has had at Goodison Park.