Paul Merson has revealed he is surprised that Chelsea allowed Brendan Rodgers to go to Leicester City instead of getting him to wait to take over the Blues in the summer.
Maurizio Sarri is close to completing his first season in charge of the Stamford Bridge club but it has been the very definition of a topsy-turvy campaign.
They were in the Carabao Cup final, they're in the Europa League semi final and they're on course to finish in the top four and grab a Champions League place next season, but despite that some sections of fans haven't warmed to the Italian over the course of the year.
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There's been chants of 'F*** Sarri-ball' around Stamford Bridge this season and Merson doesn't believe that Sarri will be in the dugout next season, making it all the more surprising to him that Chelsea allowed Rodgers to take over at the King Power Stadium.
Speaking to Sky Sports' the Debate show, he said: “I don’t know how, when Leicester went for Brendan Rodgers, that someone at Chelsea didn’t ring him and say ‘just wait, just wait six months’ because I can’t see Sarri being there because the fan just aren’t having it.
“If they’re not allowed to buy anybody, Brendan Rodgers gives youngsters a chance, he gets people playing a certain way and you only have to look at what he’s done at Leicester in eight weeks - they’re passing Arsenal off the pitch.
“Last year and the year before they were having 30/40 per cent of the ball top whack, now they’re passing a team that can play football off the park and if they can’t but anybody he’d give the youngsters a chance.
“You know what he does? He makes players better. It’s what good coaches do and he does that.”
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