Brendan Rodgers insists it would take ‘something extraordinary’ for him to leave Celtic amid Arsenal link
The Northern Irishman is being linked with the Arsenal post which will become vacant when Arsene Wenger leaves the Gunners at the end of the season
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Your support makes all the difference.Brendan Rodgers insists it would take “something extraordinary” for him to leave Celtic after the Hoops’ seventh successive Premiership title-winning celebrations were put on hold by a 2-1 defeat by Hibernian at Easter Road.
The Northern Irishman is being linked with the Arsenal post which will become vacant when Arsene Wenger leaves the Gunners at the end of the season. Celtic major shareholder Dermot Desmond insists the club would not stand in his way should Arsenal make an approach for Rodgers, who watched Jamie Maclaren and substitute Vykintas Slivka gave Hibs a two-goal lead before Hoops substitute Odsonne Edouard pulled a goal back.
Asked about his attitude to a possible approach, Rodgers said: “I would speak to the board. It would take something extraordinary to take me away from here. I have a great relationship since I met Dermot since I met him. I came in on a year’s deal and the club offered me four years and I was happy to sign that.
“After this season I will have three more years and I will be so happy if I can see that three years out. I love working here and the whole process of developing players, winning games and seeing the club progress. There is still a lot to do here.
“Naturally there will be speculation because Arsene has said he is leaving at the end of the season. My name was thrown in there but it is not a consideration. My only focus us wrapping up the title and moving into the Scottish Cup final. I have always said I am living my dream here and at some point my dream will end, like they all do and I go back into the real world again.
“I am obviously privileged to be manager of Celtic, big club, huge demands and I am only helping the club grow and go forward and order to do that it is about happiness. There will be somewhere I can go and maybe earn two or three times more money than I am now. It is not about that.
“I am still relatively young as a manager at 45, I am happy in my professional life and really content outside of that as well.”
Rodgers had no qualms about the defeat, saying: “The best team won. Over the course of the game Hibs were better than us.”
Hibs manager Neil Lennon won the first three of Celtic’s six titles to date when he was at Parkhead.
He admitted he “got no enjoyment” out of denying them their seventh at Easter Road but was delighted to take another step forward in their aim to be second.
He said: “Pride in my own team but no enjoyment. But you have to be professional and you have your own standards to set here. I was very proud of the team. I thought we were outstanding and we needed to be, they are best team in the country by a considerable distance but we deserved the win I don’t think many people would have expected that and it puts pressure on the teams around us.”
PA
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