New Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers has guaranteed he will be at the club for the duration of his three-year contract until 2026, unless he is dismissed by the board.
Asked if he is at Celtic for the long haul by the media in his first press conference today, Rodgers said [Celtic TV]: “I’ve signed for three years, and I’ll guarantee you I’ll be here for three years unless I get emptied before that – as they say up here. That will be the plan and then we can look at it from there.”
It’s a bold statement considering the circumstances of his exit to Leicester City in 2019, which he has also addressed today.
Rodgers was in the middle of a lucrative multi-year contract when the English Premier League club came in with a compensation package that took him down south.
So, take everything with a pinch of salt here. But there’s no denying the manager’s confidence and his intent from the outset here.
He’s eager to deliver a message that he is committed to Celtic and looking ahead excitedly to the club’s future at home and abroad.
It at least offers fans apparent stability and an assurance he won’t be taking the first job on offer to him again in England, if he stays true to his word.
That kind of stability will be important for the club to move forward over the next few years. A consistent management and coaching staff in place, as well as consistent qualification for the UEFA Champions League, should ensure that we’re on a journey of improvement over the course of his contract.
Football isn’t as simple as all that, of course. Many things can happen over the next three years. But for now, it’s clear that Rodgers sees this as an endeavour to get stuck into wholeheartedly. He’s not here for show.
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