CHILLED OUT
Foxes boss Rodgers insists £80M Chelsea target Ben won’t be affected by lining up against Blues
BRENDAN RODGERS says Ben Chilwell will not be fazed lining up against Chelsea despite the Londoners planning a mega summer bid for him.
Leicester’s England leftback Chilwell (right) is a transfer target for Chelsea, whose boss Frank Lampard is a huge admirer.
The clubs meet in the FA Cup quarter-final tomorrow at the King Power, where the hosts rated their defender at £80million.
But Rodgers insists his selection will not be influenced by Chelsea’s mounting interest in Chilwell, who has 11 caps.
And he praised the 23-year-old for impressing since the restart after scoring his third goal of the season in a draw at Watford.
“I have no worries at all,” said Rodgers when asked about Chilwell facing his suitors. Speculation and gossip is something you have to live with in this industry. “He has good experiences now and can deal with that. It is a part of the game and we know that.
“Ben has come back and he has been brilliant. He looks fresh. In the lockdown he has really pressed the reset button again. He has been fit and his running ability has been great.
“His defending has been good. You saw his goal he scored against Watford it was a brilliant strike.”
Rodgers has never tasted victory over Chelsea in any of his managerial spells with Watford, Reading, Swansea, Liverpool, Celtic and now Leicester.
His results against them included Steven Gerrard’s infamous slip against the Blues in 2014 when Liverpool lost to blow the title.
Leicester have also played Chelsea eight times in the FA Cup and never beaten them either. But Rodgers (below, with Chilwell) refuses to be weighed down by history as he aims for victory after the Foxes drew with Chelsea twice in the Premier League this term.
He said: “Even myself as a manager I have not beaten Chelsea in all the teams I have been involved with. It doesn’t really mean anything but it means something this weekend because you want to get to a semi-final.
“We had two games against Chelsea this season and could have won them both and hopefully we will take the next step.
“I remember being 1-0 up with Swansea in 2012 and conceded in injury time. I am the eternal optimist but you always have to push for it and that is
what we intend to do. We will give everything we can to look to achieve it.”
Rodgers is also desperate for cup success after losing in the Carabao Cup semi-finals to struggling Aston Villa who won 3-2 on aggregate with a 90th-minute winner.
Rodgers, whose side have beaten Villa twice in the topflight this term, said: “We have showed our intent in all the competitions, getting to the Carabao Cup semi-finals.
“We were really disappointed with the Aston Villa semifinal. It is something we will use as motivation.”