Steven Gerrard Says Brendan Rodgers May Have Blocked His Rangers Move for Two Leicester Prospects

Steven Gerrard has recalled trying to bring two promising Leicester City players to Rangers, and suggested Brendan Rodgers may have been the reason the loan moves never happened. At the time, Rodgers was Leicester’s manager, while Gerrard was in charge at Ibrox. Speaking to The Overlap Daily, Gerrard said he spotted Harvey Barnes and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall during a Rangers match against Leicester’s under-23 side. The game had been arranged during an international break to give playing time to Rangers players who had stayed behind. Gerrard said he checked the team sheet after noticing the pair and quickly decided he wanted them at his club. He recalled asking Rangers sporting director Mark Allen to contact Leicester and explore loan deals for both players. Gerrard said he would have been eager to sign them, but added that Rodgers’ position at Leicester may have prevented the move. He did not present that as a confirmed explanation, instead saying it was probably the reason the request went nowhere. Barnes later played for England and moved to Newcastle United, while Dewsbury-Hall went on to play for Chelsea and Everton. Gerrard’s story offers a glimpse of how close he believed Rangers came to landing two players who would later build prominent careers in English football. The report also notes that Rodgers is due to return to Glasgow for a public appearance linked to the Celtic podcast A Celtic State of Mind, where he is expected to address his departure from Celtic. He is currently managing Al-Qadsiah in Saudi Arabia, where the side is competing in the league. Rodgers has recently praised his team’s attacking approach and the way its pace helped control a match before the international break.