By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
@GettyImages.
Brendan Rodgers has resigned as Celtic manager after poor start to the season in the Scottish Premiership, the club confirmed.
A statement from Celtic posted at 9.48pm on Monday announced that Rodgers had tendered his resignation and would leave his role “with immediate effect”.
It added: “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.”
Former Hoops boss Martin O’Neill and ex-Celtic player Shaun Maloney have been put in temporary charge at Parkhead, with the club saying that the process to appoint a permanent replacement was “under way”.
Rodgers won league titles in 2024 and 2025, along with lifting the Scottish Cup and Scottish League Cup, but cracks began to appear this season as Celtic were knocked out of the Champions League by Kazakhstan minnows Kairat Almaty and Rodgers questioned summer recruitment.
Fullview also learnt that the were also accusations from major shareholder Dermot Desmond of “divisive, misleading, and self-serving” behaviour by Rodgers.
Within 15 minutes of Celtic’s official statement on Rodgers, Desmond issued a savage one of his own. 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,” said the Irish tycoon. “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 [the chief executive] 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. Yet in subsequent press conferences, Brendan implied that the club had made no commitment to offer him a contract. That was simply untrue. “There appeared little chance of Rodgers extending his deal, which was due to end next summer.
Desmond added: “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.”
He insisted Rodgers was “given final say over all football matters” and disputed Celtic’s transfer approach has been poor. “When his comments were made publicly, I sought to address them directly,” said Desmond.