Favourites to become new Celtic manager as furious owner SLAMS Brendan Rodgers

We look at the favourites to become new Celtic manager as furious owner Dermot Desmond SLAMS Brendan Rodgers following his resignation.

The major shareholder accused Rodgers of “divisive, misleading, and self-serving” behaviour, following the announcement, with former boss Martin O’Neill returning on an interim basis.

The Scottish Premiership champions are eight points behind leaders Hearts after losing 3-1 at Tynecastle on Sunday.

“His words and actions have been divisive, misleading, and self-serving, they have contributed to a toxic atmosphere” 😬

Celtic’s majority shareholder Dermot Desmond has issued a strong statement following the resignation of Brendan Rodgers 💬 pic.twitter.com/vm8OfZ2qjz

— Sky Sports Scotland (@ScotlandSky) October 27, 2025

CLUB STATEMENT:

Celtic Football Club can confirm that football manager Brendan Rodgers has today tendered his resignation. It has been accepted by the Club and Brendan will leave his role with immediate effect.

The Club appreciates Brendan’s contribution to Celtic during his two very successful periods at the Club.

Brendan leaves Celtic with our thanks for the role he has played during a period of continued success for the Club and we wish him further success in the future.

The process to appoint a new permanent manager is underway and the Club will update supporters further on this as soon as possible.

We are pleased that during this interim period former Celtic manager, Martin O’Neill and former Celtic player, Shaun Maloney have agreed to take charge of Celtic first-team matters. Further details will be confirmed shortly.

“The club’s a shadow of what it once was” 😤

Chris Sutton reacts to Brendan Rodgers’ resignation as Celtic manager and the damning statement made by Dermot Desmond 💬 pic.twitter.com/r8K2odUqpV

— Sky Sports Scotland (@ScotlandSky) October 27, 2025

FAVOURITES TO BECOME NEW CELTIC MANAGER:

BetVictor – 28th October – 4pm
Kieran McKenna – 1/1
Ange Postecoglou – 3/1
Kjetil Knutsen – 5/1
Shaun Maloney – 8/1
Robbie Keane – 8/1
Martin O’Neill – 10/1
Michael Carrick – 12/1

STATEMENT FROM CELTIC OWNER:

Brendan Rodgers has today tendered his resignation as manager of Celtic Football Club.

I want to acknowledge Brendan’s contribution across his two spells as Manager, during which he helped deliver success that forms part of the club’s modern history. However, I must also express my deep disappointment at the way the past several months have unfolded.

When we brought Brendan back to Celtic two years ago, it was done with complete trust and belief in his ability to lead the club into a new era of sustained success. Unfortunately, his conduct and communication in recent months have not reflected that trust.

In June, both Michael Nicholson and I expressed to Brendan that we were keen to offer him a contract extension, to reaffirm the club’s full backing and long-term commitment to him. He said he would need to think about it and revert. Yet in subsequent press conferences, Brendan implied that the club had made no commitment to offer him a contract. That was simply untrue.

We met with Brendan regularly, including in December last year and at the start of the summer, with regular dialogue in between, to discuss and agree our collective strategy, priorities, and approach. Every player signed and every player sold during his tenure was done so with Brendan’s full knowledge, approval, and endorsement. Any insinuation otherwise is absolutely false.

His later public statements about transfers and club operations came entirely out of the blue. At no point prior to those remarks had he raised any such concerns with me, Michael, or any member of the Board or executive team. In reality, he was given final say over all football matters and was consistently backed in the recruitment process — including record investment in players he personally identified and approved.

When his comments were made publicly, I sought to address them directly. Brendan and I met for over three hours at his home in Scotland to discuss the issue. Despite ample opportunity, he was unable to identify a single instance where the club had obstructed or failed to support him. The facts did not match his public narrative.

Regrettably, his words and actions since then have been divisive, misleading, and self-serving. They have contributed to a toxic atmosphere around the club and fuelled hostility towards members of the executive team and the Board. Some of the abuse directed at them, and at their families, has been entirely unwarranted and unacceptable.

Every member of the Board and executive team is deeply passionate about Celtic and acts at all times with professionalism, integrity, and a shared desire for success. What has failed recently was not due to our structure or model, but to one individual’s desire for self-preservation at the expense of others.

Celtic’s structure — where the manager oversees football, the Chief Executive manages operations, and the Board provides oversight — has served the club with great success for more than two decades. We all share the same ambition: to ensure Celtic’s continued success domestically and to achieve further progress in Europe. Every pound generated by the club is reinvested towards those goals and the continuous improvement of Celtic Football Club.

Celtic is greater than any one person. Our focus now is on restoring harmony, strengthening the squad, and continuing to build a club worthy of its values, traditions, and supporters.

Dermot Desmond

Here’s how fans reacted amid the favourites to become new Celtic manager as furious owner Dermot Desmond SLAMS Brendan Rodgers…

@martinam93: May the board hang their heads in shame for what they are doing to our club – I totally understand why Brendan would go this time and wish him the best for the future – hopefully a few of the board follow very quickly in his footsteps

@ONeillMatty: Delighted that Brendan had the gumption to tell this shambles of a Board he was off. Sorry to see him go, but this is on Nicholson, Lawell & Desmond.

@Naka1888c: Both things can be true; The board need gone ASAP and by any means possible. Rodgers results against inferior squads and budgets haven’t been good enough.

@GaryMcG1888: No self respecting fan can blame him for packing it in. He will be the last great permanent manager that we will have while this board are still pulling the strings. Leaves a legend. All the best, Brendan.

@p____67: Do not turn on Brendan Rodgers. Fuck Dermot Desmond the parasite bastard.

@oranstorrie99: Brendan Rodgers gone and Martin O’Neill is in charge for Wednesday and potentially a Celtic v Rangers game am I on fucking acid????????

@stephmcd_dj: wow didn’t see that coming! welcome back Ange

@budbeat: How can you blame him…. not me …hung out to dry…. board so un attached from the fans…. Martin Oneil…. and Maloney…..am I f k n tripping…?

@K_h__1888: No matter what u think of rodgers that statement from Desmond is fucking abysmal. Blaming Rodgers for all the club faults over the last 12 months is an absolute disgrace. No accountability took at all. The board need fucking gone NOW

@p_bov1: Rodgers rightfully gone if we are being pragmatic based on the onfield circumstances but that statement from Dermot Desmond, and attempt to pass all blame on to Rodgers, is utterly disgraceful. Not fit for purpose.

@EL_P1888: Fair play to Rodgers, he’s done the right thing for me. The board need to be held to account as well though, this was not all just on the manager but the change had to happen for the sake of the league.

@OCEIRIN7: Gutted. BR wanted to raise the standards, board weren’t interested. Don’t blame him one bit for leaving.

@arron1s: rodgers has left with at least some credit in the bank with me, chose to leave with dignity rather than beg for a payout (take notes neil lennon). desmond, along with the rest of the board have once again tonight proven themselves to be spineless rats who are long out of date.

@NotoriousBAG_: The board should be hanging their heads in shame. That manager took us forward in Europe, and has not been given the appropriate level of replacements for the players sold. A total mess.

@SiobheanG: I did think his time was coming to an end but definitely didn’t expect it tonight…thank you and good luck for the future Brendan 🍀

@Hego67_: I actually admire him for taking the step. Hope he comes out and speaks openly on how the board let him down in both tenures and bares all on the lack of work that goes on behind the scenes

Let the record show that Brendan Rodgers was an undeniable success at Celtic over his two spells.

4 full seasons as manager.

11 trophies.

An unprecedented level of dominance.

Thanks and good luck. https://t.co/iqVmlK9wmG pic.twitter.com/p4h1vxUNX5

— Bhoy in Red 🇵🇸 (@BhoyinRed) October 27, 2025

Brendan Rodgers (BR) 11 trophies out a possible 13. Two trebles, two doubles and an invincible season. Will never be beaten. Thank you for every thing and I hope you get the chance to tell your story. Ken pic.twitter.com/SiCHrZebW1

— Ken 🍀 (@Selickpark) October 27, 2025

So there we have it, Brendan Rodgers has handed in his resignation and is gone from Celtic. The board sold his best players, didn’t replace them, and somehow he got the blame. Madness. Celtic legend Martin O’Neill’s in temporarily, but he’s well past it. Thanks for everything,BR pic.twitter.com/7koHiXAKVp

— Bar 67 – Lanzarote (@67Lanzarote) October 27, 2025