COME AND BUY MY HEROES
Rosler’s relishing a replay but wants to sell his stars
WHILE Leicester manager Claude Puel waits on the fitness of Jamie Vardy ahead of a replay with the striker’s old club, Fleetwood boss Uwe Rosler said he is on the verge of selling a quarter of his team this January.
Vardy was ruled out with a groin strain as Leicester, missing eight first-team regulars, struggled to contain Rosler’s lively and ambitious League One side. And while the return game at the King Power Stadium will do wonders for Fleetwood’s finances, Rosler is preparing to sell three of Saturday’s starting line-up. The former Manchester City striker said: ‘We have three bids received and we will sell them. It’s not a distraction. My job here is not to win promotion, it’s to develop and create players to be sold on and to try and win football games as well.’
Defender Amari Bell and striker Devante Cole — son of former Manchester United forward Andy — are two of the players Rosler expects to sell. Both starred on Saturday in a game that Fleetwood would have won had an injury-time shot from Ashley Hunter not struck a post.
‘We want to sell and there is no secret. Last summer four players went out of contract and left us and that can’t happen again and will not,’ said Rosler. ‘I will be measured not only on where I finish in the league but on how many players I can bring through and sell on. That’s massively important for the club. We will lose players but also invest in players so I am continually building a team.’
Leicester hardly created a chance but Puel will feel his selection policy was justified if his team win the replay. ‘I fielded a strong enough team,’ said the Frenchman.
Rosler, meanwhile, said he enjoyed Christmas and New Year football when he was with City. ‘As a player, I loved it as I was a traditionalist,’ he said. ‘I found it part of English football that I felt I was
always well trained for and that gave me an advantage over other players. As a coach now I find it at times difficult as you can’t rotate. Our level of play and organisation will always be interrupted if we make too many changes.
‘We are not in a position to make eight changes. It’s no use having Ferraris and keeping them in the garage. So our Mercedes will stay on the road.’