What Brendan Rodgers said with ‘honesty and clarity’ about his Celtic contract as Dermot Desmond fillets ex-boss

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Dermot Desmond took no prisoners as he severely criticised former Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers in his statement late last night.

Desmond’s statement labelled Rodgers ‘toxic’, ‘divisive, misleading, and self-serving’ as the Celtic shareholder gave his version of events and threw the former Hoops boss to the wolves.

Rodgers decided to call it a day late last night as he walked away from Celtic after a season where he was briefed against in the press and failed in the summer transfer market.

For balance, Rodgers’ Celtic record this season was poor and he must shoulder some of the blame.

However, after Dermot Desmond claimed in his statement that Celtic wanted to offer Rodgers a new deal, 67 Hail Hail decided to look at what the ex-Hoops boss actually said about the lack of an offer from the club.

• READ MORE: Ally McCoist reacts to Jeff Stelling’s bizarre Rangers theory about Brendan Rodgers leaving Celtic

Brendan Rodgers said Celtic were still to offer a new deal

Rodgers has always maintained this season that his contract situation never changed. He was into his final year and yet to be offered an extension.

Rodgers said of his Celtic contract situation back in August, “There’s no further (contract) update no, and for the sake of honesty and clarity I can tell you exactly where we’re at.

“So I said when I came here first that I’d do three years minimum. People had me out the door at the end of last season or going various places.

“I said then and I’ll say it now – there’s nowhere to go. I love being here. I’ve done two years. I’ve got one more year to go.”

So what happened at that meeting with Desmond and Nicholson? Rodgers explained below in his version of events of that summer meeting.

Rodgers on meeting with Celtic duo Dermot Desmond and Michael Nicholson

What Rodgers does corroborate in Desmond’s statement is that he did meet with him and Michael Nicholson this summer, but where the stories don’t match is whether or not Celtic expressed any hint that they wanted him to stay.

Rodgers continued, “Dermot (Desmond) and Michael (Nicholson) and I had a conversation over the summer on where we were at and where it sits with myself and everything else and I said I’m very happy here. “There’s conditions we want in to be able to improve and be better because I’m not the type of manager that’s good at maintaining anything.

“If it’s just something to maintain, I’m not the manager for Celtic. It’ll be someone else. But to build and grow and develop and push, then of course I love being at Celtic.

“So when that time comes, when the club offer me a deal or not, then it doesn’t make a difference to me. Because every single day of my life I’ll give everything here to the very last day.

“So when the club feel there’s that time to make an offer then they will do, but as I said it’s slightly different from a manager’s perspective to a player.

“Players and clubs need to ensure they’re tied in especially at this time of the year when there’s maybe only six months left.

“It’s slightly different for a manager but it doesn’t change my hunger and desire here for the work.”

You can watch the whole interview below:

Celtic fans now have two versions of events over that summer meeting between Rodgers and Desmond.

Will the former Celtic boss break his silence to either confirm or deny the Celtic shareholder’s story? We wait with bated breath.