Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers has condemned a “cowardly” anonymous briefing said to have come from within the club, as supporter anger over the summer transfer window spills into planned protests this weekend.
Rodgers, in his second spell in charge, dismissed claims he was “creating division” or trying to engineer an exit and urged the source behind the briefing to resign. He admitted the club’s transfer-window failures left him feeling “empty” but insisted he has no intention of walking away.
Celtic’s mood has soured since a penalty shoot-out defeat by Kairat Almaty ended their Champions League hopes after 210 goalless minutes in the qualifier. That result followed Rodgers’ repeated calls to strengthen his forward line after the sales of Kyogo Furuhashi and Nicolas Kuhn across the last two windows.
Despite reporting revenue of £77m in their most recent financial results, Celtic did not meet asking prices for several targets. In the two-week gap without a match, dozens of supporter groups have called for chief executive Michael Nicholson and chairman Peter Lawwell to resign. Fans plan a delayed entry by 12 minutes at Kilmarnock on Sunday.
“It didn’t make me think to walk away,” Rodgers said of the window. “It was a long process, and when it doesn’t go the way you want, you feel empty. But as a leader at the club you get your head around it, deal with it and try to maximise what you have.”
Rodgers maintains his relationships with board members remain intact and says his focus is now on resetting Celtic’s season, starting at Rugby Park, while the boardroom-level rift plays out off the pitch.
