Brendan Rodgers sends Chelsea manager message amid Roman Abramovich sanctions

Leicester City manager Brendan Rodgers has admitted that he feels for Chelsea head coach Thomas Tuchel and the club's players after sanctions were imposed on owner Roman Abramovich.

The Government froze the Russian oligarch's assets in the United Kingdom on Thursday morning, which includes the west London club.

Chelsea have been issued a "Russia Regulation" licence by the Government that allows the club to continue operating, but under strict restrictions to ensure Abramovich does not make any money from the football club.

Tuchel and the club's player have been the public-facing members of the club fielding questions from the media in the days since, and Rodgers feels for them.

"I've got a lot of friends at Chelsea, good people, and been there for a long time," Rodgers said at the pre- Arsenal press conference.

"It's obviously a difficult situation that they're having to manage and, of course, you feel for Thomas, the manager, and the players, because it's out of their control; their focus is on the football.

"But it's something that is in place and something that they're having to manage at the moment."

Rodgers added: "I think that the reality of modern-day football is that you’re having to constantly keep all the noise and all the gossip and speculation and everything else that's around the game these days away from players.

"It is a difficult one for them and for everything because it's a spotlight very much on them. But you can really only focus on the football.

"He's there; he's a top coach, he'll manage that, get the players, you know, working well on the training field, preparing for games.

City are still set to travel to Stamford Bridge before the end of the season, though a date for that rearranged