Brendan Rodgers has left Celtic in the middle of his contract before, joining Leicester City in early 2019. We all know what the reaction from the fans was back then. But if he did something similar this time around, it feels like the support might react a bit differently, especially after how the recent summer transfer window was handled.
After reaching the Champions League knockout phase last season after more than a decade, the hope was that the club would back Rodgers and strengthen the squad this summer. Instead, they have been left weakened.
Some of the decisions that were made this summer made no sense. Like not bringing in a replacement for Nicolas Kuhn before the UEFA Champions League qualifiers against Kairat, only to go out and sign Michel-Ange Balikwisha and Sebastian Tounekti after losing the tie and being relegated to the Europa League. Or sanctioning the exit of Adam Idah on deadline day without having a replacement in place already.
That has resulted in a theory growing amongst a large section of the fanbase that is even more worrying. As reported by 67 Hail Hail, Mark Guidi said on the Go Radio Football Show:
"There’s a train of thought among Celtic supporters that inside Celtic Park, people are trying to see the manager not do well by not giving him the tools that he needs to do the job.
“I don’t know why they would, but there’s been a line out there that some people inside Celtic Park would rather see Brendan Rodgers fail than the team succeed.
“You’d like to think and hope that wouldn’t be the case, but that’s the perception out there about the Celtic manager, and that’s quite alarming – and they would back it up with evidence, looking at the window."
Alarming claim about Brendan Rodgers at Celtic amid exit fears
At the surface of it, it is hard to believe that there can be any truth to such rumours. But even the fact that we are at this point where something like that being is considered by a large part of the fanbase just goes on to show how badly the summer transfer window was handled.
In the aftermath of it, Celtic have only signed one free agent, bringing in Kelechi Iheanacho, after his contract with Sevilla was terminated on deadline day. The Nigerian international has struggled for form for the past few years. It remains to be seen if a reunion with Rodgers helps him rediscover his best form.
At the end of the day, Rodgers has reiterated on numerous occasions that he wants to at least see out his Celtic contract this time around. And one can only hope that he goes through with that promise. It is very clear that he has not been dealt the best hand this time around. A manager of his quality can get the most out of the least though. Beyond that, it is hard to imagine any scenario in which he extends his contract.