BRENDAN Rodgers last night signed a three-year deal with Leicester City and revealed that he believed that he had taken Celtic as far as he could during his time in Glasgow. Rodgers said: "We [Celtic] were on a journey of great success over these last years but when the opportunity came to talk to Leicester and I was able to analyse it, it allowed me to think that I’d probably achieved and taken the club maybe at Celtic as far as I could at this moment."
And Celtic chief executive Peter Lawwell described Brendan Rodgers as a manager of the "highest quality" and admitted the Parkhead board had been reluctant to let him leave. "Brendan is a football manager of the highest quality and we are very disappointed to see him leave the club," Lawwell said. "This is an opportunity he wished to pursue and that is something we have to respect."
Rodgers' successor at Celtic Park, Neil Lennon, said he is honoured to be back at the club and said that he cannot wait to get started. "I am absolutely delighted to be named manager of Celtic again," said Lennon. "This is a club which has been such a huge part of my life already and it is an honour to be asked to return."
You can read all about the events that led to Brendan Rodgers' departure here, as Alison McConnell reveals how Celtic and Rodgers' love affair came to an end.
Or, if you're so inclined, we have a podcast detailing how the story broke, the legacy that Rodgers leaves behind and the challenges that Lennon faces between now and the end of the season.
Kilmarnock boss Steve Clarke has ruled himself out of the running to take over at Celtic at the end of the season, stating that he would not leave Rugby Park for any other club in Scotland. Clarke said: "If I’m doing well and the team’s doing well there will always be speculation. When I came to Kilmarnock it was for my own personal reasons – it fitted well into where I saw myself next and that’s still the case."
Rangers manager Steven Gerrard has insisted Rodgers' departure to the Premier League will not affect his focus and reckons Rangers could still go on to lift the league title. Gerrard said: "We are still going to be competing against a very good Celtic team and I am sure they will put someone in charge of Celtic who is desperate to beat myself and Rangers, so nothing changes for us."
And Gerrard said he is pleased with his team's progress, both on and off the pitch, as they seek to close the gap with Celtic. "I am really pleased for Dave King and the board," he said. "It shows that we are doing the job to the best we can and we are doing the job a bit brighter. My job and my focus is on the pitch. We will keep trying to be as successful as we can and push forward and improve and everything off the pitch will look after itself."
Aberdeen manager Derek McInnes has said that Rodgers' decision to leave Celtic does not offer his side an advantage going into the league run-in. McInnes said: "Does it offer us a lift? No, we are just concentrating on our own team and trying to get the best out of ourselves, regardless of what other teams are doing. It doesn’t change anything from our own point of view."
The Herald's Matthew Lindsay is asking the question that no Celtic fans want to hear: will Callum McGregor and Kieran Tierney follow Brendan Rodgers to Leicester?
And Matthew believes that only legendary manager Jock Stein has achieved more at Celtic than Rodgers.
Hearts boss Craig Levein reckons that if Celtic were competing in the Premier League, then Rodgers would have stayed in Glasgow and would not have left the club. Levein said: "It’s a Premier League job. Without speaking to Brendan, I don’t know what his motivation but I think if Celtic played in the Premier League in England, he probably would have stayed."
In rugby, Edinburgh's Bill Mata will be joined by more of his compatriots in the captital as head coach Richard Cockerill looks to add to his Edinburgh squad.
Elsewhere, the Scottish Sun are reporting that Rodgers is keen to take Kieran Tierney with him to Leicester City as he draws up a list of potential transfer targets.
And Aberdeen have signed ex-Cardiff City full back Greg Halford on a short-term deal until the end of the season, accroding to the Daily Record.
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