Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers has emphasised the strength of his relationship with the club’s most prominent shareholder Dermot Desmond.
Rodgers has been quite outspoken in recent weeks about his desire for Celtic to make European progress, primarily by increasing the quality available to him in his first-team squad with transfers.
Some have tried to paint that as a sign of division at Celtic, that Rodgers is not in lockstep with the vision of the wider club board and decision-makers.
However, the Irishman has clarified that Desmond is fully on board with his plans and that the billionaire was one of the primary reasons he returned to Glasgow.
Brendan Rodgers on Dermot Desmond
The Celtic manager said when asked if he has the backing of Desmond and others at Celtic [Daily Record]: “Yeah. The club are clear on that and where we want to get to in terms of our level. Dermot is keen for us to progress.
“Dermot was one of the big reasons I came back. My relationship with him is very strong from the first time I was here. He was the main influence in convincing me to come back.
“My communication with Dermot is very good, We speak on the phone, he was in Rome for the game and I saw him at the Blessing. I didn’t have too much interaction out there with him but it was great for Dermot to be there, along with Ross.”
The summer transfer window was underwhelming for many Celtic fans. In hindsight, it’s now viewed as a failure to strengthen off the back of a treble-winning season.
It’s now on Rodgers and the rest of the recruitment team to show there is ambition at the Bhoys, starting with the January window.
You can’t revolutionise the squad in a single month – it’s not feasible. However, steps forward must be taken ahead of a wider squad revamp next summer.
If Celtic truly are unified on all of this, there’s no viable excuse to let any supporters down this time.
In other news, The latest Celtic return timeline for Reo Hatate.
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