Liverpool will hope to snare some real beauties in the summer window but even the best get it wrong at times. And Brendan Rodgers has proven this season that he is the best man for Liverpool.
Despite some questionable signings (along with the obvious good ones) Rodgers has been the driving force for a rejuvenated Liverpool – a total breath of fresh air to extinguish the mediocrity that the club has been suffering in the league for many of the last 24 campaigns.
Liverpool may well fail at the final hurdle in the league this time but they have certainly progressed under Rodgers and reports today suggested he is about to sign a new long-term contract with the club.
The Guardian says that a deal has virtually been agreed.
Brendan Rodgers has agreed in principle a new contract with Liverpool’s owner, Fenway Sports Group, that is expected to tie him to Anfield until 2018.
The 41-year-old signed a three-year deal with the option for a fourth when he replaced Kenny Dalglish as manager in 2012, the option belonging to FSG, which has to inform Rodgers by a specified date next season whether it wishes to extend his tenure into a fourth year.
Players like Suarez may come and go but this season has illustrated clearly how the most important person at the club is the manager.
And Rodgers is worth his weight in diamond as he’s got Liverpool playing out of their skin. So his continued tenure is the salient element for a successful Liverpool side going forward.
He has the hunger, the tactical ability and man management skills to be a massive success at Liverpool over the next five years. He’s unified the club and got them all pulling in the same purposeful direction. And, most remarkably, he’s done so with a mouth-watering style of play. It’s winning football that also looks fantastic.
Although Rodgers will of course want to keep his stars, particularly the peerless Suarez, he cannot completely control the whims of all his players and their agents.
It’s most important that he continues to develop his system. A template for play which has made Liverpool the most exciting attacking team in the league this year.
So, for our money, the signing of Rodgers to a new contract is more important to the club than the addition or loss of any player.
Players can change their minds like the wind but Rodgers has sunk his teeth into this job and his loyalty seems unwavering in the short and long term. Don’t expect him to move on any time soon. Because he has only just started with his exciting Liverpool project.
