Dermot Desmond has been accused of being an absentee landlord in previous years.
Celtic’s majority shareholder prefers to do his business quietly and out of the public eye and that has led to questions over his tenure at the club.
For manager Brendan Rodgers, though, there are few more committed to the Hoops than Desmond as the Irishman has so often proved with his cash injections to sign players.
Then there was Desmond’s decision to bring Rodgers back for his second stint that has proven to be a masterstroke.
- READ MORE: Dermot Desmond has his say on Brendan Rodgers, Celtic and Champions League in rare media appearance
So with the January transfer window just around the corner, Rodgers and the other Celtic higher-ups – Michael Nicholson and Chris McKay – all met with Desmond in Dublin to discuss plans for the next signing availability.
“On Tuesday, I flew to Dublin to have a meeting with Dermot, me, Michael and Chris and the staff and just talked about January and what we normally do,” Rodgers explained.
It is a meeting Rodgers and his staff have had many times before and without giving anything away about their planning, the boss revealed how important it is to meet with Desmond as he is “so entrenched” in everything being done at the club.
Rodgers met Desmond to discuss Celtic’s January transfer plans
“You don’t wait for the future to plan for it. So, it has been the aspect of here,” Rodgers added.
“We have a board and a major shareholder who are so invested in the club and the success of the club and how they lead the club.
“You only need to look at over the last couple of decades, how the club has run and organised, which is at the very, very highest level of any business, how it can be. But there’s also a real passion for the team, clearly, to do well as well.
“So, it’s so important. Dermot is absolutely entrenched in the whole, you know, his whole role of Celtic as a major shareholder, but also as a supporter.
“So, you know, the first thing he does get up in the morning is think about Celtic. And the last thing at night, he thinks about Celtic. And so there’s always that connection. There’s always that great level of intelligence on our board and expertise and experience.
“And that’s what we try to use to the best of our advantage. So, for us, it’s always about planning. It’s always looking forward. And obviously, the key people within that talking about it is important.”
Rodgers dismisses myth of Desmond being ‘absentee landlord’
Asked about Desmond’s “absentee landlord” status among supporters, Rodgers acknowledged that the businessman does not make too many appearances where the club is concerned.
But that does not stop his love and desire for Celtic to be the best it can be.
“His passion, his energy and enthusiasm for Celtic, it’s unswerving. His commitment to the club is incredible,” the manager said.
“Yeah, he’s not one that wants to be out there. And rightly so, he’s not going to be out there. You don’t see his face all the time, but that should not mean that he’s not interested.
“Because I can tell you from myself, having worked here twice, I know the passion and the love he has for Celtic and his club and as a supporter. So, yeah, these types of things sometimes come up if the team loses a game.
“But it’s all a myth. He’s so unswerving in his commitment to Celtic, everything he gives to it. And obviously, the support I’ve had from him over my two spells has been absolutely incredible.
“So, yeah, it was nice really to get together with him and spend some hours just looking at where we’re at and how we go forward in January and beyond.”
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