Swansea: Rodgers deal likely in 24 hours

Liverpool looked set to hire Brendan Rodgers as its new manager and vault the Northern Irishman from relative obscurity to one of the toughest jobs in football, with his current club Swansea claiming a deal was expected to be finalized on Thursday. Following talks with Liverpool's American owners — Fenway Sports Group — on Wednesday, Rodgers told Swansea he has been offered the job as Kenny Dalglish's replacement at Anfield and was ready to accept. "We are trying to finalize (a deal) within the next 24 hours," Swansea chairman Huw Jenkins. "Although we are very disappointed to lose such a talented, young British manager, we didn't wish to stand in his way." Liverpool will have to pay compensation to Swansea — reported to be in the region of 4 million pounds ($6.2 million) — because Rodgers has three years left on his contract at the Liberty Stadium after signing a new deal in January. In what will be arguably the most low-key managerial appointment made by the traditional English powerhouse in a generation, the 39-year-old Rodgers was preferred to Wigan manager Roberto Martinez despite having only one season's experience in England's top division. That year, however, proved to be a highly successful one, with Swansea finishing 11th in its first season in the Premier League and earning plenty of admirers because of the Welsh team's attractive, possession-based style of play. It made Rodgers one of the most sought-after managers in Britain. "We wish Brendan every success in the future," Jenkins said. "We will always remain good friends and we thank him for all his hard work and passion at this football club over the past two years. We shall now refocus and quickly start the process of finding his replacement to continue the great work Brendan has carried out at this football club." Liverpool, which is yet to make a comment on the managerial situation, fired Dalglish two weeks ago after a disappointing campaign in the Premier League, where it placed eighth — its lowest finish in 18 years. The Reds' last match of the season was a 1-0 loss at Rodgers' Swansea, leaving them 17 points off a Champions League qualification spot — the minimum goal of the owners. Dalglish guided Liverpool to victory in the League Cup final, ending the clb's six-year trophy drought, but it wasn't enough to convince FSG that he was the man to return the five-time European champions to its former glory. FSG targeted the hiring of a young manager to replace Dalglish and also held talks with Martinez, who led Wigan to survival in the Premier League with a stunning late-season run of results that included a 1-0 win at Liverpool. But it decided on Rodgers, who was once a youth-team manager at Chelsea under Jose Mourinho and has also managed second-tier clubs Watford and Reading. Qualifying Liverpool for the Champions League will be Rodgers' first task, with the ultimate aim being a 19th English title to match the record haul of bitter rival Manchester United. Liverpool ruled English football in the 1970s and 1980s but hasn't won the league since 1990. It remains one of the world's most famous and successful clubs, with its haul of European Cups trailing only Real Madrid (9) and AC Milan (7).