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The National (Scotland)
The National (Scotland)
National
Josh McCafferty

Benjamin Siegrist makes claim about Celtic board and 'internal' issues

Former Celtic goalkeeper Benjamin Siegrist claims that there were 'things going on' internally during his time at the club. 

The Swiss stopper revealed that he was getting a different message from Brendan Rodgers than the board. 

Siegrist was brought to Celtic in the summer of 2022 under Ange Postecoglou

The Australian then departed for Tottenham Hotspur a year later, as Rodgers returned to take the reins in Glasgow's east end. 

He soon told Siegrist he wasn't in his plans, though, and as a result, the 33-year-old wanted to depart. 

"I had an offer from a team that I was willing to go to," said Siegrist on The Bondi Podcast. "They said yes initially, then they changed their mind. Then I was stuck with the transfer window shutting. 


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"I felt like I needed to play to get my confidence back.

"In January... I had another team going for a league in another country, a top division, playing European football. I was on holiday, actually. Everything was agreed. Then I found out that Celtic hadn't responded to that team in four weeks.

"I did everything, pushed everything. I spoke to Stevie [Woods]. He said, 'In January, you can go'. 

"I spoke to the new team, spoke to everyone. It was a done deal. I was ready to pack up. 

"Some people on the Celtic board just didn't respond to any of the inquiries from the other team."

When asked why the board went silent over a move, Siegrist simply replied, "Good question."

"There was never a problem between me and Brendan Rodgers," the goalkeeper continued. "It was always very respectful. But there were things going on internally. 

"The message I got from the manager wasn't the same that I got from the board. 

"That was very frustrating because all I wanted to do was play. I was denied that opportunity twice. It felt like a lost year.

"It wasn't right the way it was handled.

"It just felt like a kick in the teeth."

Siegrist now plays his football for Genoa. He is on loan at the Serie A club from FC Rapid of Romania. 

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