Brendan Rodgers isn’t shy to say what he thinks.
That has been proven time and time again, not just in his second spell as the Celtic manager, but when he was first in Glasgow.
Nobody can deny Rodgers’ trophy-laden success in Scotland; he has now won 11 trophies at Celtic, and there is plenty more to come this season if things continue the way they have been.
But could this be the Irishman’s final season in the Celtic Park dugout? And if it is, then you sense the club’s manner of conducting transfer business has played a huge part in it.
Jack Ross as the manager of Dundee United against AZ Alkmaar.
Photo by Raymond Smit/NESImages/DeFodi Images via Getty Images
As of this moment, Rodgers will leave Celtic at the end of June 2026, and those in the Parkhead boardroom will be looking for a new manager.
Jack Ross, who has managed various clubs in Scotland and is now Head of Football Strategy at Newcastle United, spoke about the manager’s situation at Celtic.
The former Hibernian, Dundee United, St Mirren and Alloa boss feels that Rodgers being in his final 12 months of his Celtic contract ‘doesn’t happen very often’, as he also told Sky Sports Football (03/08/25).
And how the English FA Cup-winning boss feels after speaking to him.
MORE CELTIC STORIES
“I think for Brendan when he came back, and I know speaking to him once he was back here, I think there was almost an attached off-field development as well, which is sometimes the harder part to say,” stated Ross.
“So, you can see the bit around winning trophies. Winning football matches. I think what he wanted to do was come back to the club and grow it as well. In terms of the infrastructure and the facilities, etc, which you can’t quite measure, and leave almost a legacy behind.
“I think that’s almost the motivation for him coming back. If he starts to feel frustrated, unable to do that, whether it’s on pitch or off the pitch, then you get to that tipping point. It’s highly unusual for a manager to go into his last 12 months of his contract at any club.
“It doesn’t happen very often because usually you are either terminated or taken by somebody else, or rewarded with another deal.”
🗣️ “He’s right to be concerned at the moment”
Jack Ross, Head of Football Strategy at Newcastle, discusses Celtic’s transfer business & Brendan Rodgers’ comments on needing new signings ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/COslA1dG0G
— Sky Sports Scotland (@ScotlandSky) August 3, 2025
View Tweet
Rodgers is in the ‘right’ with the Celtic board
It has been well documented that Rodgers wants more from the Celtic board when it comes to transfers, and so far, they are in different places, in terms of their thinking and long-term strategy.
But Ross made it clear that he is firmly in the court of the man in Celtic’s dugout, and he is ‘right’ in what he has been saying.
“I think his comments, first of all, were fair,” said Ross. “The experience Brendan has and how comfortable he is, again, he is very measured in what he says. There is usually a meaning behind it.
“I think it has probably covered all stakeholders. The amount of money that has been spent is really low. Kieran (Tierney) is the most high-profile and high-level player, but came on a free.
“I think there is an argument to say that they look weaker. If you lost Kuhn, and Jota is out injured. Kyogo in January. That’s where you don’t want to be. It’s a worse position if you are going in weaker than the previous season, especially when you are in a position to be strong. He is right to be concerned.”