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Rodgers wants to win FA Cup and inspire smaller clubs to ‘do a Leicester’

Brendan Rodgers says Leicester City aim to stand as “the people’s club” in the wake of the European Super League scandal and that ambition would be boosted by victory against Chelsea in the FA Cup final on Saturday.

Rodgers suggests that lifting the trophy for the first time in the club’s history, while third in the Premier League, would further demonstrate Leicester’s ability to punch above their financial weight and inspire others.

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“It has been pretty clear with the talk around the Super League and super-clubs and how they have been defined, but for us we would love to continue growing to be that people’s club as such: the club that supporters around the country look at and hope that their own club can do a Leicester in challenging the elite of the game,” the manager said.

“We are realistic but also optimistic about what we can achieve even though we don’t have the resources of some of these other clubs. So being competitive and being a club in European football consistently over a number of years would be a huge success for Leicester City and would help the club continue to grow and develop on a worldwide basis.”

Leicester have spent an average of just over £20m a season on transfers since their sensational title triumph in 2016 and have regularly lost top players to others clubs, such as Riyad Mahrez and Harry Maguire, as well as N’Golo Kanté and Ben Chilwell, who could feature for Chelsea on Saturday. Rodgers guided them to fifth last season and has led them to within touching distance of Champions League qualification this term.

“I think [those feats] gave a notion to the regular supporter – who is in love with football but not so much the business of it – that Leicester can be the signpost for every team that this is what can happen,” he said. “Economically – the way we are run very well as a club – and equally from a performance perspective. Most supporters will look at Leicester as a club that gives them hope that one day their own team can be that team as well.

“This story here since winning the title has been one that has gone round the world. What we have tried to do here is build our own map and make the club sustainable. I sense there is a lot of goodwill for a club like us. We are the pioneers for the clubs outside the top six, as such.”