Leicester City sack Claude Puel and target Brendan Rodgers as summer replacement

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laude Puel has been sacked as Leicester manager, with Brendan Rodgers the No. 1 target to replace him at the end of the season.

Puel was dismissed on Sunday morning after seven defeats in the last nine games and Leicester will now make a renewed move to appoint Rodgers ahead of the next campaign.

Rodgers is understood to have already been tentatively approached by Leicester earlier this season, yet insisted he wanted to finish the season with Celtic.

The Glasgow club will demand around £6m in compensation, but Leicester have identified him as the leading candidate to take the club forward.

Leicester believe Rodgers’s track record in the Premier League, after three years with Liverpool, his reputation as a progressive coach and ability to develop young players make him the ideal choice.

Puel suffered a 4-1 thrashing at home to Crystal Palace on Saturday and the club’s board have been pressed into action due to the alarming drop down the table. 

Aiyawatt Srivaddhanaprabha, the club’s vice-chairman, watched the defeat in Thailand and was in talks with officials on Saturday night over the decision.

The club’s statement read: “Leicester City Football Club has today parted company with Claude Puel, who leaves his position as First Team Manager with immediate effect.

“The club would like to thank Claude for his efforts in leading the team during his 16 months in the role and wish him well in his future career.

"Assistant Manager Jacky Bonnevay also departs with the club’s best wishes.

"First Team Coaches Mike Stowell and Adam Sadler, supported by the Club’s established backroom staff, will assume responsibility for the senior squad while the Club begins the process of appointing a new manager.”

Puel was on the brink around the Christmas period, but wins over Chelsea and Manchester City earned him a stay of execution. However, the FA Cup exit to League Two club Newport County and defeats at home to Cardiff, Southampton and Palace have left the board with no alternative.

Puel leaves the King Power Stadium after nearly 16 months in charge, after battling against friction behind the scenes over his methods and training regime.

There have also been huge concerns over their home record – over the last 12 months they have failed to beat Swansea, Stoke, Bournemouth, Newcastle, Southampton (twice), West Ham (twice), Burnley, Cardiff and Palace in front of their own supporters.

Leicester are now likely to  appoint an interim manager for the final 11 games of the season. Michael Appleton would be a contender – he was Puel’s No. 2 after the dismissal of Craig Shakespeare before he was sacked himself in the summer - while there could be support for former midfielder Neil Lennon

Stowell and Sadler will take the home game against Brighton on Tuesday night.