Rodgers held transfer summit with club's major shareholder in Dublin this week
Celtic have been linked with surprise move for former player Tierney
Scotland international is out of contract at Arsenal next summer
By STEPHEN MCGOWAN
Published: 14:58 EST, 20 December 2024 | Updated: 14:58 EST, 20 December 2024
Brendan Rodgers has held a Celtic transfer summit with major shareholder Dermot Desmond in Dublin.
The Parkhead boss flew to Ireland on Tuesday for a planning meeting with Desmond, chief executive Michael Nicholson and finance director Chris McKay.
Keen to sign a left-sided winger after James Forrest was ruled out for six weeks, Rodgers has also refused to rule out an emotional return to the club for Scotland defender Kieran Tierney.
‘I think we said before, you don’t wait for the future to plan for it,’ confirmed Rodgers.
‘It has been the great aspect of here. We have a board and a major shareholder who are so invested in the club and the success of the club and how they lead the club.
‘You only need to look over the last couple of decades, how the club has been run and organised, which is at the very, very highest level of any business, how it can be.
Brendan Rodgers worked with Kieran Tierney during his first spell as Celtic manager
Tierney will be out of contract at English Premier League giants Arsenal next summer
Rodgers travelled to Dublin this week to hold transfer talks with Dermot Desmond
‘But there’s also a real passion for the team, clearly, to do well as well. So it’s so important.
‘Dermot is absolutely entrenched in his whole role of Celtic as a major shareholder, but also as a supporter.
‘The first thing he does when he gets up in the morning is think about Celtic. And the last thing at night, he thinks about Celtic. So there’s always that connection.
‘There’s always that great level of intelligence on our board and expertise and experience. That’s what we try to use to the best of our advantage. So, for us, it’s always about planning.’
The club’s largest shareholder for the last 25 years, Desmond has been a member of the plc board since 1995.
During that period Celtic have won a total of 45 trophies — 38 per cent of the total number in the club’s 136-year history.
Refuting accusations of the Irishman being an ‘absentee landlord’, Rodgers said: ‘Dermot’s not one that wants to be out there and rightly so. He’s not going to be out there.
‘You might not see his face all the time but that should not mean that he’s not interested. I can tell you for myself. I’ve worked here twice, I know the passion and the love Dermot has for Celtic and his club and as a supporter.
Celtic overcame Rangers on penalties at Hampden on Sunday to clinch the Premier Sports Cup
‘These types of things sometimes come up if the team loses a game. But it’s all a myth.
‘He’s so unswerving in his commitment to Celtic, everything he gives to it.
‘So it was nice really to get together with him and spend some hours just looking at where we’re at and how we go forward, January and beyond.’
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta, meanwhile, was asked about Tierney’s future yesterday, saying: ‘At the moment he is here with us. I wouldn’t play a player who is thinking of leaving or not committed to us.
‘He hasn’t come to me and said I want to move. In the past when there have been doubts he’s come to me and this hasn’t been the case yet.’
However, the Scotland international is free to speak to clubs in January after Arsenal passed up an option to extend his contract by a year, and has been a Rodgers priority since last summer.
‘We’ll always be linked with top players and especially players that are one of us,’ said Rodgers.
‘Kieran was an instrumental part of a really, really successful period when I was here.
Rodgers remains hopeful that left-back Greg Taylor will soon sign a new deal with the club
‘And his talents then took him on to another challenge in the Premier League. So, yeah, we’ll be linked with lots of names. Kieran, obviously, naturally because of his situation. But, for us, we’ll only ever tell you when we sign a player, once he’s signed.’
Despite discussions with Greg Taylor over a contract extension reaching a financial impasse, Rodgers reiterated his desire to keep hold of the Scotland full-back.
‘I’ve said it before and I repeat, I really want him to stay. So I’m hoping that, between the club and his representatives, we can organise a deal. But I also understand he’s 27 now, this will be one of the last big contracts of his career.
‘So he has to make sure that everything is right. But, what I do know is, I really want him to be here. I love working with him.’
Confirming the loss of veteran winger Forrest until the end of January, Rodgers said: ‘He had a real bad blow in the (Rangers) game. And, to carry on, he showed great courage to do that.’