Rodgers deal is best Celtic will make all summer

TALK about doing your business early. Celtic may still have silverware in their sights and games to be played this season but Parkhead chiefs have already completed their best bit of business for next term.

Supporters didn’t exactly need a reason to be cheerful this week after seeing their side clinch six-in-a-row at Tynecastle, but the news that Brendan Rodgers has penned a new four-year deal ensured their smiles were as a wide as the Clyde.

There is no such thing as a sure thing in football, but the appointment of Rodgers wasn’t exactly a huge gamble by Celtic. Having put big money on the table, they are now sitting pretty.

If he had waited long enough, there is no doubt he would have landed another job in England – sooner rather than later.

He couldn’t have walked straight back into a top-six side south of the border but he wouldn’t have been short of offers from chairmen that could have matched the wages he is on at Parkhead.

The lure of Celtic was a strong one, though, and there is clearly more to life than pound signs and the Premier League for Rodgers.

His interviews in recent days have shown him to be happy with his lot off the pitch as well as on it.

Few, perhaps even Rodgers himself, could have imagined the impact he would make in his first months at Celtic and the symbolism of agreeing a four-year deal was not lost on the green and white faithful.

Rodgers has transformed a squad that was stagnating and produced a side that is swashbuckling. He will credit his staff and his players, but he is at the centre of the success.

Rodgers is the highest profile personality in our game and he has been able to say and do as he pleases this season. Fans have lapped up his messages, while the emphatic manner of his results ensure keep doubters at bay.

His signature was a commitment, but the new contract hasn’t altered Rodgers’ position that much. What it has done is bolstered the club’s.

The fresh terms replace the one-year rolling contract that the Northern Irishman penned when he was confirmed as Ronny Deila’s replacement last May.

WITH both parties more than happy, it is unlikely negotiations were tough, but the next time Peter Lawwell sits round a table to discuss his manager’s future he will have a strong hand to play.

Celtic know more than most that success can come with a price and it could well be that Rodgers is the next one to experience that cycle.

When the likes of Fraser Forster, Victor Wanyama and Virgil van Dijk shone on the park, interest in their serv ices quickly grew and, sooner or later, they moved on. The same scenario could well happen with Rodgers. The more silverware he delivers, the greater the chance that he will move up the wanted lists for jobs in England.

If the time comes when he decides to head back across the border, or further afield, Celtic are unlikely to stand in his way, but they have now ensured they will be compensated to a higher level after tying down their biggest asset.

Only time will tell if Rodgers sees out his new deal and if Celtic can continue adding Premiership titles as they attempt to move into unchartered top-flight territory. Rodgers will keep attracting admirers. Celtic jneed to keep his eyes on the prizes. One For Arthur carried jockey Derek Fox and no doubt a fair few patriotic pounds to Grand National glory at Aintree on Saturday. It is the first Scottish success in the race since Rubstic back in 1979 and congratulations go to trainer Lucinda Russell and connections.

The triumph will undoubtedly raise the profile of Scottish racing and could be a major boost to the sport here. Hopefully those once-a-year punters who would have had a flutter on One for Arthur will get out and back racing north of the border in the coming months and our tracks, trainers, owners and jockeys can reap the rewards of Russell’s stunning

success.