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Soccer

Football's favourite sons: Which managers can't get enough of certain players?

You can tell a lot about a manager from the players he signs. Often times when some coaches swap ...



Football's favourite sons:...
Soccer

Football's favourite sons: Which managers can't get enough of certain players?

You can tell a lot about a manager from the players he signs.

Often times when some coaches swap clubs they eventually bring some players with them to their next destination.

And even this weekend we saw an example of that at play.

Brendan Rodgers

The former Swansea and Liverpool boss is making himself at home at Celtic and in terms of personnel furniture to stock the squad, he brought a memento from his most recent spell at Anfield.

Kolo Toure was released by Jurgen Klopp at the end of the season but he hasn't been without a club long as he landed into the waiting arms of Brendan Rodgers - not literally - who had brought him to Liverpool in the first place back in 2013.

The brief is simple. He arrives on a free but provides plenty of experience and cover.

And appreciation goes the other way as Toure says of Rodgers "For me, he is one of the best."

Another player, Rodgers clearly appreciated at one point is Liverpool midfielder Joe Allen, although the Welshman is out Celtic's financial range.

Dubbed the "Welsh Xavi" by Rodgers (watch above) for whom he played as a metronomic midfielder at Swansea, Allen embodied Rodgers "death by football" philosophy of ball possession.

Thus, Rodgers made him one of his first Liverpool signings in the summer of 2012. Allen didn't go on to thrive at Anfield, although his reputation has been resurrected by an excellent Euro 2016 for Wales.

 Sam Allardyce

Where Sam Allardyce goes, Kevin Nolan has tended to follow, although a first ever England cap is a forlorn hope for the latter.

He is now 34 and has already started to get involved in player-coaching. He came through at Bolton Wanderers under the new England manager in the late '90s as a Premier League-level midfielder capable of his fair share of goals.

While his own spell at Newcastle United came a year after Allardyce had been appointed and then sacked as manager, they were again reunited at West Ham in 2011 when Big Sam brought him in on a five-year contract and awarded him the captaincy. There is talk that Nolan could take on a coaching role in Allardyce's new England setup.

 David Moyes

How much money would you put on Marouane Fellaini ending up at the Stadium of Light? Based on new Sunderland manager David Moyes' past habits, Fellaini could well be a target.

Moyes brought him to Everton and developed him into a respected attacking midfield target man before bringing him to Manchester United in 2013 for an ill-fated spell at Old Trafford.

Fellaini could well remain at Man United under Jose Mourinho in the medium to long term but Moyes may well harbour an interest.

Manchester United's new signing Marouane Fellaini, left, poses for pictures with manager David Moyes before a press conference at Old Trafford Stadium, Manchester, England, Friday, Sept. 13, 2013. (AP Photo/Jon Super)

Roberto Mancini

So tied to the Mario Balotelli narrative is the Inter Milan manager that there is a faint talk that Mancini hopes he gets third time lucky.

There was a rumour doing the rounds recently that the ex-Manchester City manager was willing to take on the unpredictable Balotelli one more time.

Mancini brought Balotelli into the first team picture at Inter, before taking him to Manchester City for a memorable but volatile time together at the City of Manchester Stadium.

Highlights of their fallouts include the time Mancini subbed off Balotelli immediately after the striker attempted a nonchalant but needless backheeled finish in a friendly match, while they also had a "bust up", to use English football parlance, in training with photos capturing the tension

Yet of all that hasn't seemed to put Mancini completely off rekindling the partnership.

 Roberto Martinez

The former Everton manager clearly sees something in Tom Cleverly that some Manchester United fans didn't.  

Martinez brought the England cap to Wigan on loan in the 2010-11 season with Cleverly performing well and earning himself a chance in the United first team.

But after failing to capture the imagination at Old Trafford, Martinez provided an escape route and brought him to Everton last July and giving him plenty of game-time opportunities. 

And for an Irish perspective, Martinez is very fond of James McCarthy, taking him from Hamilton in Scotland to Wigan in 2009 and then spending £13 million to bring him to Everton in the summer of 2013. In terms of value at the time, he was Everton's second most expensive signing.

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