THE players who have been arriving at and departing from Parkhead on an almost daily basis throughout the summer have very much been dominating discussions between Celtic’s supporters of late.
Could the major topic of conversation among fans of the Scottish champions in the months ahead be whether Brendan Rodgers remains in the East End of Glasgow once his contract expires at the end of this season?
Rodgers - who yesterday revealed that he had, despite holding talks with major shareholder Dermot Desmond and chief executive Michael Nicholson in recent weeks, not been officially offered an extension to his current deal – was adamant that outside noise about his personal future would not have any impact on his side on the park this term.
But his revelation that Celtic will need to show they share his ambition – and that effectively means spend more money in the transfer market so that his side can do even better domestically and go even further in Europe – before he puts pen to paper on a new agreement is only going to fuel “will he stay or will he go?” speculation further.
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“There’s no further update, no,” he said at his first pre-match press conference of the 2025/26 campaign at Lennoxtown ahead of the William Hill Premiership meeting with St Mirren at Parkhead tomorrow. “But, for the sake of honesty and clarity, I can tell you exactly where we’re at.
“I said when I came here first that I’d do a minimum of three years. People had me out the door at the end of last season. I was going to various places. I said then, like I’ll say now, there’s nowhere to go. I love being here. I’ve done two years, I’ve got one more year to go.
“Dermot, Michael, and I had a conversation over the summer on where we were at, where it sits with me and everything else. I said I’m very happy here. I love being at Celtic. But there are conditions.
“We want to be able to improve and be better because I’m not the type of manager who’s for maintaining anything. If it’s just something to maintain, I’m not the manager for Celtic, it’ll be someone else. But to build and grow and develop and push? Then of course.
“So, when that time comes, when the club offers me a deal or not, then it doesn’t make a difference to me because I will give everything here every single day of my life to the very last day. And when the club feels there’s a time to make an offer, then they will do so.”
“As I say, I’m not the one who’s going to sit here and just maintain levels. This is a really fast-moving club and you have to keep moving, move quickly. It’s one of the biggest clubs in world football that has a demand and an expectation of it. The only way you get better within that is by improving and developing.
“So, the message to the supporters is that everyone here will be doing their utmost to improve on last season. It’s a really exciting season ahead. I’m so looking forward to it. And like I said, if we can add to where we need to add, then it can be even better for us.
“Celtic has an expectation and should have an expectation because of the size of the club we are and what the demands are here. Yes, there have been some challenges on the pitch and off the pitch since I’ve arrived. But that’s management, that’s coaching. In the main, I’ve absolutely loved it here. And I will continue to do so, however long that is.
“But like I said, there has to be that ambition from everyone. It’s no good for the manager to have it and the players not, or whatever else. Everything has to be aligned. And I know that the club are also very keen to continue to progress and develop.”
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Asked if he was at all concerned about the uncertainty about his own position rumbling on and starting to become a distraction for his players this term, Rodgers said, “Well, it depends on who it disrupts. It certainly won’t be the players. It won’t be the staff. And it won’t be me.
“So I don’t feel it will disrupt. Of course, I know in your world there’s lots of speculation around it. But that’s why I’m being honest and clear with you where it sits right at this very day.
“But it’s not going to distract. The focus is very much on the team and improving the squad. That ambition - for Celtic to be the best - is all I’m concentrated on. So, no, I don’t think it will be a disruption at all.”
“I don’t conclude the deals,” he said. “There are always time lags on them for different reasons. Of course, we would love to get players in earlier. There’s no doubt I would have liked to have players in by now, but it’s not the case.
“I’m not going to kill my own joy and overthink stuff. I focus on what’s here. We know the work that we need to do. It’s my responsibility to convince the club that we really need them. I’m not doing that job as well as maybe I can, but I will continue to pursue that because it’s something that’s important for us.
“There is no shadow of a doubt, attack is the priority. People say, ‘Is it frustrating?’ It’s arithmetic for me, it’s just pure counting. If you count up the players that we have lost in that area over the last period, look at the players who have gone, then clearly we need to replace that. It’s a key part of our team, it’s a key part of how we play, it’s a key part of what excites supporters. That’s what we want to bring to the club.”
