Brendan Rodgers’ departure from Celtic was as acrimonious as they come.
A series of Celtic fan protests after a desperately poor summer window indicated a club in disharmony, whilst the Hoops boss was briefed against by his own higher-ups in the Scottish tabloids.
In the end, Rodgers tendered his resignation out of nowhere. The abruptness of the announcement indicates that there is more to the story.
A remarkable Dermot Desmond statement further complicated matters, completely assassinating Rodgers’ character and making previously internal tensions public.
But what was life like for Rodgers in his final months at Parkhead? Further details of his Celtic relationships have been revealed.One of the main points of contention between Rodgers and his Hoops bosses was the timing of signings, and the profile of the signings themselves.
Celtic CEO Michael Nicholson simply shrugged his shoulders when asked about Rodgers’ comments about certain players being ‘club signings’.There were clear differences between what was happening publicly and behind closed doors. But a report in The 42 has now revealed more details of operations surrounding Rodgers in his final year.
The report says: “Alarm bells were ringing back in January when Rodgers was on the lookout for a new striker. He spoke with a contact at a top flight club in England and looked to sort a loan deal for an international striker who was on the fringes of the first team and keen for regular football.
“The Celtic boss was the point of contact for the move, and while Jay Lefevre was the head of scouting operations, Rodgers was the one driving things to try and get it done.“But a deal never materialised as it became apparent in discussions that the striker would not be a good fit in Glasgow.
“Rodgers is now gone and Paul Tisdale, appointed as Celtic’s head of football operations in October 2024, is understood to have been one of his key allies and would not have had strong ties to the hierarchy above.
“It’s understood that when Celtic eventually did end up signing striker Kelechi Iheanacho – who Rodgers worked with at Leicester City – in the summer, non-executive chairman Peter Lawwell and chief executive officer Michael Nicholson were somewhat blindsided as communication with Rodgers was so limited.”One of the main points of contention between Rodgers and his Hoops bosses was the timing of signings, and the profile of the signings themselves.
Celtic CEO Michael Nicholson simply shrugged his shoulders when asked about Rodgers’ comments about certain players being ‘club signings’.
