Brendan Rodgers needs assurances on Celtic’s ambition

Word on the street is that Brendan Rodgers has held talks with Dermot Desmond over a possible contract extension, but any possibility of the Irishman signing on the dotted line would need to see certain assurances being met.

Salary wouldn’t be an issue as Dermot Desmond has deep pockets and he has shown before he will pay top dollar to bring in the right man as he’s already done with Brendan on two separate occasions.

Those assurances would be more to do with the club’s ambitions and whether they match that of the manager, ie his spending budget and the club’s ambitions on the European front.

Brendan of course signed a bumper extension in his first spell but was lured by the prospect of pitting his wits in the riches of the English Premiership for a second time as he up sticks to Leicester City during a crucial period in the 2018/19 campaign.

After making a dramatic return in 2023 the Irishman said he would see out his current deal and he’s been good as his word thus far, and there’s been no reason to suggest he will go back on that promise.

But will he be persuaded to stay on past May 2026? I believe he will if the club can match his ambition. Time will tell

This story broke yesterday and one thing for certain is that it will NOT go away until there is a resolution. The longer that Celtic drag it on, especially during the remaining month and a half of the summer transfer window, the more damage it could cause.

Presumably Celtic are looking at a few big money, top quality additions but those players will NOT be short of alternative options and when weighing up the opportunity to sign for Celtic they may well factor in the uncertainty over the manager’s own status at the club beyond next May.

Celtic are going into the UEFA Champions League play-off in just over a month and surely we are planning to have our strongest possible team on the park and that would include these new arrivals, which some supporters are beginning to think won’t happen anyway.

If the support is going to be let down, and Brendan Rodgers is going to be let down too then there is only one possible outcome. We accepted the excuses in January.  It’s unlikely we’ll be so understanding come the beginning of September.