There is an undercurrent of frustration at Celtic Park following the club’s exit from Europe at the hands of AEK Athens on August 14th, with Brendan Rodgers clearly upset at his side’s failure in the transfer market this summer. Despite spending £25 million since May 2016, Celtic are still lacking quality in key positions, missing out on key targets and their lack of Champions League football this season will be a huge disappointment for fans.
There is a clear divide between the ambition the board and the manager which is far from ideal with the new season barely underway. Celtic lost their opening match of the season at Tynecastle with Kyle Lafferty’s superb strike proving the difference between the two sides and their defeat in Greece has further soured the mood around the club. They are still expected to secure their ninth consecutive Premiership title this year but whether Rodgers will still be at the helm is another question entirely.
The former Liverpool boss has made no secret of his long-term desire to return to the Premier League but has always been quick to dismiss the possibility of leaving Celtic in the near future. He still has another three years left on his current contract although recent tensions suggest that he may be tempted to look elsewhere before his current deal expires.
There are currently no vacancies in the English top flight but he has been routinely linked to a number of jobs throughout the summer. Prior to the arrival of Unai Emery, he was briefly touted for the Arsenal job. The majority of Gunners’ fans will be hoping that their new boss can guide them back to the top four and they have been priced at 2/1 in William Hill’s Premier League betting to return to the Champions League positions this season. Rodgers is more likely to be suited by a mid-table club and has been linked with the Newcastle amid continuing uncertainty surrounding the future of Rafa Benitez.
Despite airing his frustrations to the media following his side’s defeat in Greece, Rodgers was quick to reassure his squad that he isn’t planning on leaving the club. He went on to tell the Daily Record: “I never once said that I was quitting Celtic. What I said was we wanted the squad to be stronger,” before later adding: “So, collectively, in terms of spirit, we’re fine.”
A number of pundits and former players have been quick to defend Rodgers following his outburst with Chris Sutton agreeing that the squad is under-equipped for a European campaign but the former striker did suggest that the timing of the manager’s rant was wrong.
There is still plenty of quality in the Celtic squad and Brendan Rodgers doesn’t appear likely to throw in the towel anytime soon, but his continuing frustrations with the lack of transfers could result in his head being turned by a Premier League vacancy at some point during the season. After missing out on a number of his targets this summer, Rodger’s frustrations with the board have been laid bare and fans are understandably worried about a resurgent Rangers side. It wouldn’t be a surprise to see Rodgers swapping the Scottish top flight for the English top tier in the next twelve months unless he is given firm assurances about the January window.
