Wednesday marks a year since Brendan Rodgers succeeded Claude Puel in charge at the King Power Stadium, and in just 365 days the changes at the Midlands club have been monumental. The Foxes were forced to pay Celtic £9m in compensation to secure the Northern Irishman who was on the cusp of securing a historic treble treble, a move which was maligned by some sections of the media, but the manager has surely vindicated his decision to return to the Premier League.
Rodgers’ results at the King Power Stadium have been nothing short of astonishing in the space of a year he has won 21 of his 38 Premier League matches, a 55 per cent win ratio, as per LCFC. Had that period been a full season, the Foxes would have accumulated 70 points, just 11 shy of the figure which saw them lift the title in 2016, and their 50 points this term should comfortably see them qualify for the Champions League.
But it is not just results that have improved; the style of play is noticeably more eye-catching than Puel’s occasionally stodgy methods. While there has also been a youthful resurgence at the King Power Stadium, it was inevitable members of the old guard such as Wes Morgan and Christian Fuchs would be gradually phased out, but Rodgers has managed the process with grace. In their place, Harvey Barnes, Wilfred Ndidi and James Maddison have come to fruition, meaning Leicester City are now an exciting prospect with the quality and ambition to make European qualification a regular occurrence.
Qualifying for the Champions League alone will refund the Foxes their outlay on Rodgers, Leicester City are set to earn in the region of £12.64m just for reaching the group stage. Furthermore, over £2m is added for each win and around £750k for a draw, and that is without even progressing from the group. Along with the boost in revenue from European adventures, a third-place Premier League finish, where Leicester City currently reside, netted Chelsea £34.2m last year, £11.4m more than the Foxes received for finishing ninth. Therefore after investing in Rodgers, the club have not only bought success on the pitch but the potential for vastly improved finances off of it as well.
