Chris Sutton has been left impressed with the way Dermot Desmond has gone about recruiting a new Celtic manager in the wake of Ange Postecoglou’s exit. And he reckons it signals dark days ahead for Rangers.
Brendan Rodgers is reported to be on the verge of coming back to Glasgow, following an infamous exit to Leicester City in 2019.
Understandably, a mid-season departure to the English Premier League left a bitter taste in the mouths of many fans but Sutton reckons Celtic are due credit for pursuing the best candidate on the market, despite any potential blowback.
And, for the high-profile pundit, the simple fact that Rodgers is ready to take up the challenges suggests to him big guarantees have been made that are bad news for Rangers.
Chris Sutton on Celtic’s bright future
Writing in his Daily Record column this weekend, he said: “Rodgers is not going to put himself back into the position unless he genuinely feels he can do something in Europe and seriously fancies giving Rangers another severe going over. You can’t delete the past and I’m not going to attempt to. I’ll get to that. But first thing is first. The big positives.
“I actually really admire the fact Dermot Desmond seems to have ignored any potential issues over fan unrest when making this move. It’s as if he’s thought: Brendan Rodgers is the best man for the job. That’s who I am getting and I’m not bothered by what anyone else says or thinks. Strip away the furniture and what has gone before and, looking purely at the candidates and his previous record at the club, there is probably no doubt Rodgers was the stand-out man Celtic could get.
“After the way he left, I can’t believe he would go back into the job without having serious guarantees and real belief he’ll be given what he wants to try to make an impact in the Champions League. He won seven trophies out of seven domestically. There is nothing more to achieve on that score. Europe has to be playing a big part.
“You can say or think what you like about the way he left, but Rodgers is a very smart and a very clever bloke. And, obviously, it goes without saying that so, too, is Desmond. So there must be some serious plans in place because, otherwise, I can’t see why either party would choose to take this path.”
Despite Rodgers’ success during his first stint as boss, there are still plenty of unknown variables ahead for Celtic to navigate. Sutton goes on to stress that. Undoubtedly, a strong start is needed to prevent any notion of a fan backlash.
The club need to follow through on backing him to the hilt, too. Hopefully, anything promised to the incoming manager, plans alluded to by Sutton, are backed up when he is actually in the job.
If Celtic click into gear with Rodgers at the helm, it’s fair to say any of our mouthy rivals may have bitten off more than they can chew with wishes of a Postecoglou exit.
In other news, Report: Brendan Rodgers has persuaded John Kennedy to stay at Celtic.
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