Leicester manager Brendan Rodgers to give Wes Morgan new one-year contract
The 35-year-old defender had looked set to leave the King Power Stadium this summer after the 2016 champions allowed his contract to enter its final months
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Your support makes all the difference.New Leicester manager Brendan Rodgers is set to hand Premier League title-winning captain Wes Morgan a lifeline by asking the Foxes board to award him a one-year contract extension.
The 35-year-old defender had looked set to leave the King Power Stadium this summer after the 2016 champions allowed his contract to enter its final months.
But Rodgers’ arrival as manager looks set to prompt a change of heart with the former Nottingham Forest player poised to be offered a new one-year deal, although Rodgers says the long-serving skipper must be prepared to accept a reduced role in the first team.
“He is at that stage, and it comes to them all, where you get to 35 or 36 and you become emotional,” said Rodgers, who recalled Morgan to a three-man defence for his opening game in charge - a 2-1 defeat at Watford.
“But the thing with Wes he still makes a valuable contribution to us. I’ve spoken to the club and I would like him to get a year. He is ready, if needed.
“Of course he understands the position he is in – that he won’t start every game. It happens to the best.
“As long as he can respect and understand where he is in the team and what the role is I would love to have him here.
“He has made clear he would love to be a part of this.
“Hopefully between now and the end of the season we’ll resolve something. I thought he did really well last week.
“We played a system I put onto the players and he coped with it well. He will have a part to play, even if it’s not starting.”
Yet Rodgers does not appear ready to hand reprieves to the other title-winning stars whose deals expire this summer, with Danny Simpson and Shinji Okazaki among those likely to leave at the end of the season.
Christian Fuchs has confirmed he intends to move to the MLS while Andy King’s contract expires with the midfielder already having left the club for a loan spell at Derby that was cut short by injury.
That would leave Morgan, Jamie Vardy, Kasper Schmeichel and Marc Albrighton as the only regular members of the title-winning starting XI still at the club.
But Rodgers is conscious that any club legends who leave must be given a fitting send-off.
“There needs to be a bridge for them, absolutely,” said Rodgers, who takes charge of his first home game against Fulham on Saturday.
“I understand that. That’s communication, that’s seeing where they are at. It’s their needs as well.
“Some of the guys will want to play, some will want to stay. We’ll assess it over the next couple of months.
“There’s no-one who will respect that more than me.
“From looking from the outside and what they gave to, not just this club, but football, their story was absolutely amazing.
“I have found them really good guys. We have to protect their pride but also looking to improve in the summer."
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