Former Celtic striker and current Sky Sports pundit Charlie Nicholas has claimed that crunch talks between the top brass at Parkhead is likely to lead to Brendan Rodgers leaving the club in 2019.
The relationship between managing director Peter Lawwell and the Northern Irish boss has been icy over the last couple of months as a result of the club’s activity in the summer transfer window, although Rodgers himself has confirmed he turned down an opportunity to move to China to stay and fight with the Hoops.
However, Nicholas, a regular pundit on Sky Sports, states that discussions between Lawwell and chief shareholder Dermot Desmond over Rodgers may lead to the manager departing sooner rather than later, with a prediction he will be out the door before the end of January next year.
He told the Scottish Daily Star: “I am not sure Brendan Rodgers will still be Celtic manager come the end of January. It looks as if the relationship between Brendan and Peter Lawwell is broken.
“Major shareholder Dermot Desmond appears to have had to step in and have some strong words with them both. If there has been a serious breakdown in their relationship then you can ever get things back to what it was before.
“Rodgers and Lawwell might pose for the occasional photograph but it is clear that the relationship is no longer working. Brendan seems to have lost some of his drive with everything that has happened since the summer. He probably knows in his head that things are coming to an end.
“Okay, he may have said he turned down an offer from China, but other more attractive offers will come in. Will he turn them down as easily, especially if he is not getting what he wants at Celtic?”
Opinion
Rodgers leaving Celtic in January would be a massive shock to everyone outside of the club, but by the sounds of what Nicholas is saying it seems as though there is some real bad blood between the manager and those sitting above him in the boardroom. To be fair to Rodgers, he was put in a difficult situation over summer, where he appeared unable to sign the players that he wanted and was left fighting a losing battle against both Dedryck Boyata and Moussa Dembele. Losing the French striker so late on, especially after the man in the dugout had been so adamant he would not be going anywhere, was a hammer blow to the Hoops’ hopes and a breakdown of trust between the board and the manager. Nicholas might be making an almighty prediction but he is absolutely right – if Rodgers cannot trust his bosses to support him on the decisions he wants to make on the pitch, then how is he expected to work any longer at Celtic?