Simon Jordan believes Premier League strugglers Leicester City ‘dodged a bullet’ when talks with former Leeds United manager Jesse Marsch broke down over the Easter weekend.
Say what you want about Marsch – and many Leeds fans most certainly did during a dreadful run of form either side of Christmas – the American will always be able to argue that he saved the Yorkshire giants from relegation 12 months ago.
Marsch, with his high-intensity football and his forceful personality, dragged a seemingly-doomed Leeds side out of the mire in 2022. Whether he’d have done the same at the King Power Stadium, we will never know.
Marsch, The Telegraph report, opted against taking the Foxes job. He allegedly came to the conclusion that he was not the right man to potentially lead the 19th place side in the Championship next season.
And former Crystal Palace owner Jordan believes Leicester may have got a lucky escape, Marsch’s initial impact at Leeds drying up quickly during a dismal spell of just four wins in 20 Premier League games.
Leicester City hire Dean Smith as Jesse Marsch talks collapse
“A bullet dodged if you ask me,” Jordan tells talkSPORT (10 April, 10am).
Leicester, after also being rebuffed by ex-Chelsea boss Graham Potter, made the shock decision to hire Dean Smith on Monday evening. The former Aston Villa and Norwich City coach signed a short-term deal until the end of the season.
And while a far from enticing appointment, Jordan believes Leicester’s hands were tied by what he deems to be a ‘dearth of managerial talent’ on the current market.
“There is a dearth of managerial talent around at the moment,” Jordan adds. “This is a terrible time of year to hire managers. Very rarely do you see this amount of managers go at this time. They’ve put themselves in a very difficult position.”
‘Staring down the barrel of relegation’
Rodgers, meanwhile, was sacked following a 2-1 defeat at Crystal Palace. A scoreline which flattered the visitors far more than the dominant hosts. Those FA Cup and Community Shield triumphs certainly feel a damn sight longer than just two years ago.
“I believe that Brendan Rodgers wasn’t simply fired,” Jordan adds. “I believe Brendan Rodgers was in a position where he sort of threw his hands up. It was more Rodgers walking away than Leicester saying; ‘right you have got to go’.
“If you are second from bottom in the league, it doesn’t matter than you won an FA Cup. If doesn’t matter that you put your team in the top six. All that matters is that you are staring right down the barrel of relegation.
“Leicester are in a dreadful position and they were put there by Brendan Rodgers. They have been in decline for a significant period of time. I don’t think he was particularly engaged in it.”
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