Brendan Rodgers believes new training ground can take Leicester to next level
Brendan Rodgers believes Leicester’s new £100million training ground will take the club to the next level.
The first team will train at the facility in Seagrave, north Leicestershire, for the first time on Christmas Eve.
They had been expected to move in over the summer but the coronavirus pandemic had delayed the project, which was started in spring 2019.
The Foxes are second in the Premier League and Rodgers expects the facility to help the club progress.
“It’s the most significant investment in the club’s history,” he said, ahead of Manchester United’s Boxing Day visit.
“In terms of recruitment it will add to what we have. We will always be in the market for a certain level of player. We don’t have the £50million, £60milllion or £70million to spend on one player. It’s pretty clear what market the club is in.
“But when they see the facility that will definitely help us. The club have always attracted really good players but we are now moving into an elite venue which will be a great help.
“The essence of Leicester City is there is a genuine want to develop people, whether you are a player or staff member. That comes from the very top.
“We are all very lucky to work here and experience that.”
The training ground includes 14 full-size pitches and a 499-seater floodlit show pitch along with a private nine-hole golf course.
The old facility – which has been the Foxes’ home for nearly 60 years – will be used by the women’s team, which turned professional in the summer.
Chairman Aiyawatt Srivaddhanaprabha said: “A new training ground has been a dream many years in the making, so it is with great pride that we have been able to deliver this. Seagrave will be a pivotal part of the club’s operation for generations to come.
“Of all the investments we have made in the club, this has been our most significant. It is an investment in our players of today and our players of tomorrow, putting some of the very best facilities in the world at the heart of their everyday environment.
“It elevates the club’s offering to its players and staff to an entirely new level and is a key component in making our progress of recent years sustainable.”
Meanwhile, Jamie Vardy is expected to be fit to face United after coming off with a minor groin problem in Sunday’s 2-0 win at Tottenham while Caglar Soyuncu (groin) may return.
