The one piece of Celtic transfer business that would trump Tierney or Jota returns and Dermot Desmond can work his magic
The Dublin gathering of the Celtic high command after the League Cup Final will have been a relaxed affair.
Brendan Rodgers will have told the suits what he needed in January and names like Kieran Tierney and Jota might have been tossed around. Hoops fans would welcome the pair of them back with open arms but it’s not like the current side is crying out for new faces.
There’s one bit of business that would top the lot though - a new deal for the manager. Celtic fans are enjoying the here and now and it’s understandable. The sky high demands at the club mean some picky folk will say the performances have not quite been at the same blistering level as they were a few months ago. Those people need to have a word with themselves. It’s December. The games are coming thick and fast and it’s simply about sticking points on the board and moving on.
The stepovers and back heels can wait until the clocks go forward. In the meantime Celtic are flying and the turn of the year gives punters the chance to reflect before looking forward.
And when they look back at 2024 they should appreciate the fact they’ve seen something pretty special from their side in the last 12 months. Unless there’s an almighty shock against St Johnstone on Sunday, Celtic will have gone through the calendar with just two defeats in all competitions. It’s a ridiculous record – right up there with the invincible campaign in Rodgers’s first reign.
And it’s now also clear that the Irishman is the second greatest Celtic manager of all time. Jock Stein won’t be shifted for the top spot but Rodgers is next in line and whatever happens next will only underline it.
That’s why the talk around the table in Dublin should have been mainly about the main man. Rodgers is halfway through his three year deal and it’s only natural for supporters to start wondering what is coming down the line.
Rodgers will do his three years and you suspect at that stage he might wave goodbye. He won’t be short of offers. Half the English Premier League would take him in a heartbeat and there will be others front further afield willing to throw bundles of cash in his direction.
Rodgers might fancy some time with his feet up at some stage but that is where Dermot Desmond can work his magic and perhaps have a word in his ear.
Rodgers has already done enough to have at least a lounge named after him at Celtic Park. Stick around longer and he could end up with an entire stand.
That kind of thing doesn’t pay the bills but it might appeal to the manager. Football might be fickle but Rodgers is the closest thing Celtic have to a sure thing.
He might lose to Rangers on Thursday. In fact, Rangers probably should win this one. They are at home, there’s no away support and even the law of averages suggests at some point they have to win at some point. Fairly dud Hoops teams managed to get one over far stringer Rangers ones over the years and vice versa.
But it doesn’t really matter. Celtic are so far in front right now they can afford to lose one. It’s not going to make a jot of difference to the title race. And it might mean that Gers are stuck with Philippe Clement for longer. Rodgers already has a fair few Rangers managers on his mantelpiece and there’s space for another one in the next few months.
A few more trophies are likely to be alongside them but one of those rolling contracts for the boss would be the biggest prize of the lot for Parkhead punters.
