LONDON • With just two Premier League wins from their last nine games and only four victories in 16 away matches, Arsenal's form has been so dire that pundits believe Unai Emery's job will be on the line if his side lose to Leicester today.
Brendan Rodgers heads a list of names that have been linked with the Emirates hot seat, with Paul Merson calling on his former club to "break the bank" for him, while Tim Sherwood told reporters the Gunners should be "trying to tap him up as he is the obvious choice".
But the Leicester manager yesterday dismissed the rampant speculation, claiming he already had "a top job" at the King Power Stadium.
The Foxes have won eight of their past 11 league home games, have the second-best attack with 27 goals scored and have the joint-best defence with just eight goals conceded.
Much of their hot form has to do with Rodgers. Since joining Leicester from Celtic in late February, the former Liverpool boss has reinvigorated a club that had gone stale under Claude Puel.
They have secured 12 top-flight wins since his first game in March - a record bettered only by Liverpool and Manchester City - so it is little wonder Rodgers has no interest in going anywhere, with Leicester on course for a top-four finish.
Ahead of today's clash with Arsenal, who his players are aiming to beat for the third straight season at home, he told Sky Sports: "This is a fantastic club, a great job for me and in this moment, with the ownership we have, the players I have, I'm absolutely loving every minute.
"People link me, at times, to top clubs... All the gossip and speculation is part of the game."
While injured Arsenal midfielder Dani Ceballos will miss the trip and Emery confirmed Granit Xhaka is "not ready" to play after he was stripped of the captaincy earlier in the week, Rodgers has a full squad to pick from and he hailed their application as "first class".
And no one best represents their attacking endeavour than Jamie Vardy, who has been instrumental to the Foxes' best start to a league campaign.
With 10 league goals, the former England forward sits on top of the scoring charts and he will be confident of more against Emery's men, having plundered eight goals in his eight league starts against Arsenal.
His boss also feels that his "best years will be here". Reflecting on Vardy's decision to snub a move to the Gunners in 2016, Rodgers said: "He's proven himself to be one of the top strikers in Europe.
"It wouldn't have been because of that (fear of competition) that he didn't go to Arsenal. He's still so sharp, clinical, fit - he'll be 33 in January but he looks after his body."
LEICESTER V ARSENAL
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