“That was the reason I left” – Brendan Rodgers Further Details Celtic Exit

Former Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers has admitted that Celtic’s lack of investment was a factor in his switch to Leicester City.

The 49-year old appears to be experiencing some sort of deja vu currently in the Premier League with the Foxes yet to have made a signing this summer.

They are the only side in the top five leagues in Europe that are yet to add to their squad with the club potentially about to lose players such as former Dons loan star James Maddison and Wesley Fofana.

In his managerial career so far, Rodgers likes to have money to spend and at this point just isn’t getting any.

One of the final nails in the coffin appeared to be Celtic’s inability to sign midfielder John McGinn from Hibernian.

What followed where players who Rodgers had no say in with the likes of Youssouf Mulumbu and Marian Shved arriving at the club.

It was always likely that Rodgers would make a return to the Premier League but the manner in which he departed Glasgow still leaves a bitter taste with many Celtic fans.

“Challenge. I think we had qualified for the Champions League two seasons running. We’d won the Double Treble, we’d brought great investment into the club,” told Brendan Rodgers speaking to Kammy and Ben’s Proper Football Podcast. 

“But I felt to make the next steps in Europe, we needed investment. It was a little bit of… I don’t think the club had that investment to put in, to compete at that level. It was also the challenge. It was such a difficult thing to leave because of the friends, the club and everything.

“But the number one thing for me in my life is to take on a challenge. And I felt that it wasn’t the ideal time to leave, but where I’d left the club from when I came in, the club had won seven trophies on the spin with the records and everything that we’d done.

“We filled the stadium again. We gave the team back hope because when we first came in we’d just lost to Rangers and Rangers were coming into the league. I felt we’d built up a great togetherness there.

“When I left, we were eight points clear and in the quarter-finals of the Scottish Cup. We’d already won the league cup and we were in a really good position in the league. Neil came in, he did really well and won the league and Scottish Cup. The team finishes nine points clear and has a good foundation for the following season.

“Me coming into here [Leicester City], the challenge was could I disrupt the market? Could I bring a team into the top-six. The top-six had been very set here in the Premier League for a number of years. I think the only team who did beat that when they won the league was Leicester.

“So the challenge coming to here was, I felt it was a good squad and a fantastic owner. They had the plans for the training facility. Could we go into somewhere that gives us the chance to break into the top-six, even though it was going to be a huge challenge?

“That was the reason I left. It was such a hard one, such a difficult one. But I only look at the great memories, the great people, the great friends I’ve made there, the happy moments that I had. And then it was the next step in the journey.”

It’s very ironic that the Irishman finds himself in such a similar position over three years on and it will be interesting to see what follows in the coming months.