One of the intrigues around Brendan Rodgers’ appointment as the new Celtic manager is his contract.
Since the turn of the century, Celtic have placed every new boss on a one-year rolling deal initially. That means a manager has 12 months left on his contract on any day of the calendar year, essentially never expiring.
Rodgers had that contract when he joined up in 2016/17, before being moved onto a lucrative multi-year deal that was eventually bought out by Leicester City in 2019.
On his return, the new boss signed a three-year contract, said to be worth yet more money than that improved offering during his first stint. He has even already ‘guaranteed’ he will see it out unless he is sacked by the board.
Asked about the process to appoint Rodgers and break from the norm with his contract, chief executive Michael Nicholson explained in a media event today [Celtic TV]: “Chris McKay and I went for lunch in Mallorca – that was the starting point. That was perhaps the worst-kept secret in Scottish football. Perhaps Chris’ sombrero and beach ball gave us away in the airport.
“I think you always have to be ready for change in football. When Ange left, we knew we had to replace him with a manager of top, top quality and in Brendan we know we’ve got that. We’ve invested in the squad over the last couple of years – we have got a very young, hungry squad – so we profiled managers through the process who could take us on and Brendan was the standout candidate. That was our priority, to bring Brendan back to Celtic, and we’re delighted to do so.
“When Chris and I met with Brendan, it was clear there was a mutual excitement about what we could go on to do. And this contract is a mutual statement of our commitment to that. That was an important part of it.”
The relationship between Rodgers and the Celtic hierarchy is certainly a lot more harmonious in the run-up to his exit, as you’d expect. From proclamations about positive changes behind-the-scenes, to a bumper contract and ambitions to have a go in UEFA tournaments, all the messaging from the club right now is fantastic for fans.
But it is, of course, just the start. The second Rodgers era will be judged on results and the football to come, not press conferences. The club and the manager now need to back up their ambitions with the right moves and actions this summer, and beyond.
In other news, “I’ve watched virtually every Celtic game since I left”; Brendan Rodgers’ ready-to-go statement.
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