Owner Criticizes Manager’s Performance
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Celtic FC and manager Brendan Rodgers have parted ways, with the Scottish Premiership club confirming Rodgers’ resignation on Monday. This decision comes shortly after Celtic’s critical loss to title rivals Hearts of Midlothian on Sunday, which leaves the team eight points behind the league leaders.
In a statement, club owner Dermot Desmond expressed his disappointment with the team’s season. “I want to recognize Brendan’s contributions during his two terms as manager, which brought significant success to the club,” Desmond stated in a letter to the fan base. “However, I must also voice my deep disappointment at how the last several months have transpired.”
Desmond went on to highlight concerns regarding Rodgers’ commitment to the club. He revealed that Celtic had offered Rodgers a new contract in June and expressed frustration over the manager’s public suggestion that no such discussions had taken place. “Brendan indicated that the club had not made any commitment to offer him a contract, which is simply untrue,” the statement read.
Critique on Transfer Policy: “We Had a Collective Strategy”
The Celtic owner criticized Rodgers for his remarks about the club’s transfer policy. “Every player bought and sold during his time was done with Brendan’s full knowledge and approval,” Desmond explained. “Any insinuation to the contrary is completely false.” During the recent transfer window, Celtic invested €15.13 million in new players while generating over €30 million from player sales, only second to Rangers (€29.71 million) in expenditure this summer.
In contrast, Hearts, who triumphed over Celtic 3-1 on Sunday, only spent €2.97 million on new signings last summer. It is important to note that Celtic lost several key players during this period, including Nicolas Kühn, sold to Como for €19 million, and Adam Idah to Swansea for €6.9 million. Last season, they parted ways with Matt O’Riley for €29.5 million to Brighton and Kyogo Furuhashi for €12 million to Stade Rennais. Since Rodgers’ return in summer 2023, Celtic has accrued €133 million from player sales while spending approximately €88 million on new talent to fill the gaps. According to Desmond, Rodgers was fully aware of, and agreed with, these decisions.
A significant factor has been the absence of several vital players. During the match against Hearts, Celtic was missing Cameron Carter-Vickers, Alistair Johnston, Diego Jota, and Daizen Maeda. Nevertheless, with Celtic’s financial resources compared to those of Hearts, the results have been disappointing for many fans. This struggle isn’t limited to the league; the team also faced challenges in Europe, failing to qualify for the Champions League group stage and securing only one victory in three Europa League matches. Ultimately, while Rodgers may have officially resigned, it seems likely his departure was imminent regardless.
