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There are Francophiles, there are Anglophiles, and then there are Hispanophiles, people who are fans of all things related to Spain. Brendan Rodgers famously falls into the latter category, with his love of tiki-taka football causing some of his players to suggest that he is indeed "like a Spanish manager." (Thanks, Suso.) It's no surprise then that on the eve of Real Madrid's visit to Anfield, Rodgers had ample opportunity to talk about his love of Spain.
"I hope one day to work in Spain," Rodgers said in an all-things-Iberian interview with Guillem Balagué. "I’m only 41 which is very young and there are lots of things I want to achieve here at Liverpool, it's an incredible club and I hope to be managing here for another 20 odd years. One day hopefully it can take me to Spain and I can experience a wonderful country, culture and as I said, some wonderful football club."
Knowing full well the average lifespan of a Premier League manager, it's nice for Rodgers to have such long-term ambitions at Liverpool. Though the season has started out a bit rocky for most fans' tastes, Rodgers seems to have earned enough of the owners' trust to invest in and hopefully see out a longer term project. One assumes that being in charge for multiple decades means achieving ample success along the way, which is certainly a positive approach to things.
The whole interview is well worth reading for those looking for more insight on Rodgers' relationships to other managers who have helped and inspired him along the way, but Balagué also managed to get in a quick transfer window question by asking whether or not Rodgers had any intention of signing a Spanish player in the next few months. In a word? "No."
The Victor Valdes story has had several starts and stops, most recently with the goalkeeper's agent saying the player had never rejected a Liverpool trial offer because none had been made in the first place. Rodgers' apparent lack of interest in signing a Spaniard prior to January 31 is seen as confirmation that the Valdes deal — trial or otherwise — is dead in the water, at least for now.
