Brendan Rodgers’ exit from Celtic was anything but smooth.
A string of fan protests following a poor summer transfer window pointed to deeper issues within the club. Meanwhile, Rodgers was also being criticised by his own executives in the Scottish press.
Rodgers’ resignation came out of nowhere, and the timing suggested there was more going on behind the scenes than anyone realised.
Dermot Desmond’s extraordinary statement added fuel to the fire, taking direct aim at Rodgers and making internal tensions very public.
Celtic “hated” everything about their final months under Brendan Rodgers
Pundit Simon Ferry has now lifted the lid on how things were in those final months. And judging by his comments, it’s clear that relationships had soured well before his exit.
“I think we all hated each other at that point,” he said. “I think Brendan probably hated us. We probably didn’t like Brendan as much as we used to.”
This lack of unity showed itself again this past season, especially when results started to go against them. There were times when it seemed like he struggled to get his messages across or fully connect with some players.
Brendan Rodgers’ Split From Celtic
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.”
The reality is that there’s rarely ever smoke without fire. This wasn’t just some minor disagreement over transfer strategy; this story has far more layers than what we’re seeing on top right now.
How Brendan Rodgers managed transfers at Celtic
Iheanacho wasn’t the only player linked directly to Rodgers during his time in charge. Adam Idah’s initial loan move from Norwich in January 2024 started with a phone call between Rodgers and his agent.
Rodgers’ comments about ‘club signings’ were ambiguous and clearly a source of the ‘division’ that Desmond bemoaned in his statement.
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And if it’s true that Paul Tisdale was not close with the Celtic board, he may not have had the influence that some thought.
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