Brendan Rodgers has resigned as manager of Celtic following a reported fallout with the club’s hierarchy, bringing an abrupt end to his second spell in charge.
The Scottish champions confirmed his exit on Monday after Sunday’s 3-1 defeat to Hearts left them eight points behind the Edinburgh side in the league.
In a statement, Celtic thanked Rodgers for his service and announced that former manager Martin O’Neill and ex-player Shaun Maloney would handle the team temporarily until a new head coach is appointed.
“Brendan leaves 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 club said.
Celtic added that the search for a permanent replacement had begun, with former boss Ange Postecoglou, recently sacked by Nottingham Forest, among the top contenders.
Rodgers, 52, returned to Celtic Park in 2023 and led the team to back-to-back Scottish Premiership titles, adding to the domestic success he achieved during his first stint between 2016 and 2019.
However, tension grew this season after Celtic crashed out of the Champions League to Kazakhstan’s Kairat Almaty and struggled in league form.
Rodgers had earlier expressed frustration over the club’s transfer policy, saying his squad had “lost a lot of firepower, a lot of goals,” adding, “You can’t be given the keys to a Honda Civic and be told to drive it like a Ferrari.”
Reacting to the comments, the club’s majority shareholder, Dermot Desmond, accused Rodgers of being “divisive, misleading, and self-serving,” claiming his remarks created hostility towards the club’s board and management.
Desmond said Rodgers’ criticism came “entirely out of the blue,” adding that the manager failed to point out any instance where the club had not supported him.
Rodgers, who has previously managed Liverpool, Leicester City, and Swansea, enjoyed a highly successful first spell at Celtic, completing consecutive domestic trebles and guiding the team to an unbeaten league season in 2016–17.
