Brendan Rodgers Dismisses Talk Of Premier League Return

Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers has dismissed talk of a return to the Premier League amid rumours suggesting that he could succeed manager Arsene Wenger at Arsenal. The Northern Irishman has built up his reputation during his 18-month spell with the Scottish champions, and he is on course to guide them to their domestic treble in as many seasons.

In an interview with The Mail, Rodgers was quizzed about the prospect of a Premier League comeback, where he appeared to suggest that he is content at Parkhead, he said: “If you’re happy, ultimately that’s all that matters. The money’s irrelevant. You can have X amount of pounds in your bank every month but if you’re not happy and you’re not finding peace in what you’re doing, it doesn’t really matter. I love the Premier League, the quality of the players, the quality of the coaches. There are great challenges. But there are arms and legs flying off managers down there.”

Despite Celtic’s progress under Rodgers, they have not quite managed to take their dominance in the European stage. The Hoops only finished third in their Champions League group which also includes the likes of Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain, and their drop to the Europa League did them little favours as they were ousted by Zenit St Petersburg at the round of 16 stage.

Aside from Rodgers, former Borussia Dortmund boss Thomas Tuchel has also been linked with the Gunners job, though a final decision may depend on whether the club win the Europa League or not this term. The north Londoners can still earn a back-door entry to the Champions League by winning Europe’s second competition, and this could yet see them prolong the stay of long-standing coach Arsene Wenger. Arsenal have a quarter-final tie against Russian outfit CSKA Moscow next month.