Celtic Manager Brendan Rodgers Resigns, Ending Second Spell at Club

Brendan Rodgers has stepped down as Celtic manager with immediate effect.

The club confirmed that former manager Martin O’Neill and ex-player Shaun Maloney will oversee the first team temporarily while the search for a new permanent head coach begins.

Rodgers’ departure comes after Celtic’s 3–1 loss to Hearts on Sunday, a result that left them eight points behind the league leaders.

In a statement, Celtic announced, “Football manager Brendan Rodgers has today tendered his resignation and will leave his role with immediate effect.” The club thanked Rodgers for his contribution during a period of success and wished him well in his future endeavors.

Rodgers, 52, returned to Celtic Park in 2023 for a second spell, securing back-to-back league titles to add to his earlier championships in 2017 and 2018. He had previously managed Swansea, Liverpool, and Leicester City before rejoining Celtic as Ange Postecoglou’s successor.

During his first tenure between May 2016 and February 2019, Rodgers guided Celtic to consecutive domestic trebles, including a record 106-point league season — the first unbeaten top-flight campaign in Scotland since 1899.

His recent stint also saw Celtic maintain domestic dominance, winning the Premiership, Scottish Cup, and League Cup in both the 2023–24 and 2024–25 seasons.

However, this season began poorly, with Celtic suffering an early Champions League exit to Kazakhstan’s Kairat Almaty and internal tensions emerging over the club’s transfer policy.

Following a rare defeat to Dundee earlier this month, Rodgers expressed frustration over squad depth, remarking that the team had “lost a lot of firepower, a lot of goals.” He added, “You can’t expect to drive a Honda Civic like a Ferrari.”

Celtic’s principal shareholder, Dermot Desmond, rebuffed Rodgers’ comments, calling them “entirely out of the blue.” Desmond stated that the manager had never voiced such concerns privately and insisted Rodgers had full control over football matters and player recruitment, including record spending on signings he had personally approved.