Brendan Rodgers and Celtic board in transfer deadlock – ‘there will only be one winner’
Brendan Rodgers and the Celtic board are at a stalemate regarding the club’s transfer plans for the future.
The Hoops currently sit second in the Scottish Premiership, behind Hearts at the top of the table, after a difficult start to the new campaign.
Celtic lost in the Champions League play-off round, which relegated them to the Europa League, where they have picked up just one point from their two games so far.
To make matters worse, Rodgers has been linked with a move away from the Glasgow giants, as tensions between him and the board continue to rise.
Celtic board don’t want a manager to dictate them
Aberdeen’s former chief Keith Wyness – who served as CEO at Pittodrie between 2000 and 2004, had lengthy spells as the chief of Everton and Aston Villa and now runs a football consultancy advising elite clubs – believes that the Celtic board are fixated on having full control of the club.
Speaking on the new edition of Football Insider’s Inside Track podcast, Wyness insisted that they don’t like the idea of Rodgers dictating their spending.
The Celtic hierarchy have come under huge pressure from supporters in recent weeks, after a very underwhelming summer transfer window.
Wyness added that the board will be more than happy to let Rodgers leave, and that the Northern Irishman is unlikely to win this battle.
He told Football Insider‘s Inside Track podcast: “I think that the board wants full control, and they just don’t like the idea that a manager can dictate to them.
“They’re going to be bloody-minded and try and force some way for Brendan to go. I think that’s what they’ll be looking at.
“I’m sure Brendan’s agent right now is looking very closely at every other club where there might be a change coming up. I wouldn’t be surprised to see him coming down to England.
“That relationship now is pretty fractured, between him and the Celtic board. They’ve had a period of dominance and you can’t complain when you look at what they’ve won over the last few years and the money in the bank. We all understand that.
“But I think there’s a time here when they’ve got to realise themselves that they’re not doing the right thing for the club, but they’re going to be quite happy sitting there being dominant and if they have to let Brendan go, then fair enough.”
“I think the board will win this one because they’re a strong board, very entrenched and aren’t going to let the toys go. That’s the ones they want to run. So I don’t expect any other winner in that one than the board. And I think Brendan might be looking to exit south.”
Celtic continue to make profit
Celtic have made a profit in regard to player sales and signings in each of their last three seasons.
| Season | Expenditure (Signings) | Income (Sales) | Overall balance |
| 2025/26 | £13.18m | £26.32m | +£13.14m |
| 2024/25 | £39.54m | £48.93m | +£9.39m |
| 2023/24 | £23.91m | £40.23m | +£16.32m |
| Overall | £76.63m | £115.48m | +£38.85m |
In total, they have made a net profit of almost £40million, which is fantastic for the accounts but is clearly now impacting the squad on the pitch.
Celtic are expected to win the Scottish Premiership every single year, so their success is primarily judged on their performances in European competitions.
Getting knocked out in the play-off round of the Champions League is unacceptable to the supporters, and combined with their slow start domestically, fans are running out of patience with the board.
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