5 contenders to replace Claude Puel as Leicester manager

Leicester have parted company with manager Claude Puel.

The Foxes failed to win a Premier League match since New Year’s Day – picking up just one point from six matches – and Puel’s 16-month tenure came to an end following Saturday’s 4-1 home defeat to Crystal Palace.

Here, Press Association Sport looks at some of the possible contenders to replace the Frenchman.

Brendan Rodgers

The Northern Irishman is favourite with the bookmakers for the job but he is midway through his third season at Celtic, where he is hoping to win his third successive domestic treble.

The Foxes would need to pay compensation to prise Rodgers away from Parkhead but the 46-year-old is proven in the Premier League.  He impressed there after getting Swansea promoted, before joining Liverpool – where he came so close to ending the Reds’ title drought during the 2013-14 campaign.

Rodgers has previously been linked with a return to English football, with Arsenal reported to have considered him as a successor to Arsene Wenger before they hired Unai Emery prior to the start of this season.

Rafael Benitez

Another former Liverpool boss with proven Premier League pedigree – and beyond. Benitez has worked wonders at Newcastle on a strict budget but there have been signs that his patience is wearing thin with such constraints, together with the uncertainty surrounding the ownership of the club.

The Spaniard has been coy on his future at St James’ Park club and could be difficult to get mid-season as he prides himself on not breaking a contract. However, that expires at the end of the current campaign and, while Newcastle have recently broken their transfer record to sign Miguel Almiron, the former Real Madrid boss may want more assurances over the Magpies’ ambitions before deciding whether to stay or go.

David Wagner

The German has been linked with replacing Puel in the past, having won admirers with Huddersfield during their debut campaign in the top flight last season. However, things have not gone so well this time round and Wagner left the Premier League’s bottom club last month by mutual consent, after approaching the board to reveal he needed to take a break from management.

With that in mind, despite being among the front-runners for the Leicester job with bookmakers, the 47-year-old appears a less likely contender.

Slavisa Jokanovic

Sacked by Fulham in November after getting the club promoted to the Premier League, the 50-year-old Serbian will still have many admirers and he is now available.

Jokanovic did good work at Watford, Maccabi Tel Aviv and then at Craven Cottage and he would be an interesting choice.

Neil Lennon

Lennon left Hibernian by “mutual consent” last month after a fruitful two-and-a-half year spell at Easter Road, where he guided them back into the Ladbrokes Premiership.

He started management at Celtic and won three successive league titles and two Scottish Cups during his four years in the hotseat, before a less successful spell in charge at Bolton.

The Northern Irishman spent four years at Leicester as a player, which yielded two League Cup triumphs, and with the success of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s return to Manchester United as interim manager, could the Foxes follow suit with their former midfielder?