Brendan Rodgers style did not suit ex-Celtic star who got ‘slaughtered left, right and centre’

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Alexandro Bernabei was the first permanent outgoing transfer of the January window for Celtic.

Kyogo is set to be second via a £10m switch to Rennes, but his exit will be felt far greater than the Argentine left-back’s departure.

Bernabei completed a £5m move to Brazilian outfit Internacional this month after previously spending the 2024 calendar year there on loan.

He went from a squad player under Brendan Rodgers to a crucial first-team star at Internacional and his performances last year earned him a spot in the Brazilian Serie A’s team of the season.

At Celtic, he struggled to usurp Greg Taylor for the regular left-back spot in the team under both Ange Postecoglou – who signed Bernabei for £3.75m in 2022 – and Rodgers.

All in all, the 24-year-old only played 28 times for the Bhoys and won’t be remembered in a hurry by the Parkhead faithful.

Bernabei’s move to Internacional was a topic of discussion on the latest Open Goal podcast as host Si Ferry commended Celtic for raking in a £1.25m profit for the defender.

• READ MORE: Brendan Rodgers breaks Kyogo transfer exit silence and reveals Jota signing timeline

Gordon Dalziel’s Bernabei argument

James McFadden and Gordon Dalziel then had their say, with the latter revealing that he thought Bernabei was a good player and that he just wasn’t the right fit for Rodgers’ style of play.

Si Ferry: “Somebody at Celtic should get a pay rise, whoever got £5m for the boy Bernabei.”

James McFadden: “He was the defender of the league (2024 team of the season) in Brazil for the whole competition.”

Gordon Dalziel: “He was a good player, I always liked him. But the problem is some people are suited to different styles of football.

“But you can look at somebody and say, ‘he’s got something in him, he’s a player somewhere.’ And you can go somewhere else and it fits your style.

“I quite liked him, he got slaughtered left, right and centre! Look, he never produced at Celtic but you can see that going somewhere else suited him. By the way, £5m is great business.”

Kieran Tierney set to replace Bernabei at Celtic

Celtic must be confident enough in the incredible return of Kieran Tierney this month by sanctioning the £5m exit of Bernabei.

Tierney is poised to re-sign for the Hoops but it remains to be seen whether he will join up with the squad from Arsenal this season or in the summer after penning a pre-contract.

Loan star Alex Valle is caught up in the equation as his future depends on the timing of Tierney’s Celtic arrival.

Parent club Barcelona are keen for Valle to join Italian side Como under Cesc Fabregas for the rest of the campaign – but it hinges on Arsenal letting Tierney go in January.