Brendan Rodgers has spoken for the first time since leaving Celtic.
Rodgers departed Celtic in acrimonious circumstances over six weeks ago, and went radio silent despite Dermot Desmond’s extraordinary attack on him on the club’s website.
It’s been a long wait to hear from the ex-Hoops boss, but before we got to, we received the news that he was in talks for a move to Saudi Arabia.
Rodgers has now been confirmed as Al-Qadsiah manager, joining one of the league’s most ambitious clubs, which is funded by Saudi’s biggest oil company.
And in his first role outside of British football, he is looking forward to leaving his ‘comfort zone’.
Six weeks on, how do you feel about Brendan Rodgers’ acrimonious Celtic departure?
Brendan Rodgers breaks silence on Celtic exit
Rodgers was replaced by Martin O’Neill on an interim basis at Celtic – and the 73-year-old did rather well.
After winning seven games in eight, Wilfried Nancy took his place ahead of the biggest week of the Hoops’ season… and the less said about that so far, the better.
READ MORE: Frank McAvennie unleashes Wilfried Nancy rant as Celtic boss slammed for ‘arrogance’
But there’s no need for Rodgers to worry about Celtic scrutiny anymore, as he moves to a new ‘way of life’ in the Middle East.
He told the Al-Qadsiah’s social channels: “When I first arrived, they made a real family feeling.
“All the staff and all the people here have looked after us so well, and it gave me a really positive feeling.
“Clearly, what the Saudi Pro League has is top players and top coaches. I feel that when you study and look at the quality of the games, a lot of the games are of high quality.
“So I’m really excited about working in the league against the top teams, and some of these fantastic coaches that are already in this great league.
“I’m excited by the culture.
“I’ve managed and coached in 812 games in British football, so I have a lot of experience in the Premier League and working with Celtic as well, which is a huge institution.
“So I’m really excited by the challenge of coming out of that comfort zone, and coming in and working with more diverse players and a different way of life.
“But my early impressions here are that it’s a fantastic city, and I’m really looking forward to living here and experiencing the culture and everything outside of the football as well.”
Brendan Rodgers speaks for the first time as Al-Qadsiah manager
Who are Brendan Rodgers’ new club, Al-Qadsiah?
Al-Qadsiah are based in the city of Al Khobar, which has rapidly expanded since the discovery of oil there in the last century.
They had traditionally fluctuated between divisions, but are now setting their sights on top-flight success since their new backing from Aramco in 2023.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang spent time there before returning to Europe, and they spent £60 million on Atalanta’s Mateo Retegui last summer.
The club is set to move to the new, state-of-the-art 46,000-capacity Aramco Stadium in the near future, moving from their current Prince Mohamed bin Fahd Stadium.
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