Brown expects Rodgers to be busy in summer window
SCOTT BROWN, the Celtic captain, believes the appointment of Brendan Rodgers as Ronny Deila’s successor will be matched with a similarly ambitious signing policy this summer.
The club have failed in their last two attempts to negotiate the necessary qualifying rounds to get into the Champions League group stages, the price of which is estimated to be between £35m and £40m. The suggestion is that there is a £15m transfer budget available to Rodgers with players already linked to the club. Steven Gerrard, who is currently with the MLS, was immediately speculated as a player on Rodgers’ horizon this weekend.
“It’s definitely exciting,” Brown told celticfc.net. “The players he will attract himself will be huge and everyone seemed to love his coaching at Liverpool and Swansea so it will be great for us to learn off him as well.
“He has done really well with his previous clubs, almost winning the league at Liverpool, and he has Champions League experience. Hopefully he comes here and we can continue to win leagues and cups and get into the Champions League.
“People say we can’t afford the top players now but we have just gone and got a top manager. He knows about the club which will help as he will understand what coming to a huge club with a big reputation is all about.”
And Brown revealed that the dressing room reaction to Rodgers’s appointment mirrored the excitement of the club’s support.
Celtic confirmed on Friday evening that Rodgers had formally accepted a managerial offer to take over at Celtic, news that was immediately welcomed by the players he will get to know soon enough. I was down in London when I heard and it’s great news,” said Brown. “The lads are in a group chat and we speak quite a lot and we are all delighted with Brendan coming in. It will be a fresh start for everyone and everyone will have to prove their worth.”
Aside from understanding the magnitude of the post, Brown believes that Rodgers’ reputation suggests he will
set out his Celtic teams in a manner that is easy on the eye.
The midfielder, who played the latter months of the season with tendonitis, is currently resting on doctor’s orders so that he is fit in time for the new campaign, but he expects Rodgers’ to stick to a philosophy that has been tried and tested at Celtic throughout the years.
“I did come across him at Swansea when we played down there in a friendly and they were flying at the time,” said Brown. “They played attacking, non-stop football which was good to watch and I’m sure the Swansea and Liverpool fans felt that as well, and here’s hoping our fans will feel like that.”
“One of the reasons I came to Celtic was the fact there was a huge manager in charge who had done well down in England in Gordon Strachan, and now we have another huge manager who had done well down south, and he will bring that enthusiasm and experience along with his style of play.
“Everyone knows that Celtic is a highpressure job and all the other things comes with it, but he will know what that’s all about, having worked in a similar situation in Liverpool with that local rivalry with Everton, so that will be important for him.
“I haven’t had a chance to speak to him yet but I’m sure we will chat soon, though he will be a busy man over the next few days,” said the captain.
“I will just need to see how the injury goes and how I’m feeling before I come back in. I don’t want to come back too early and start off with an injury, so I will make sure I’m 100 per cent.”
Rodgers is due to meet the Celtic supporters at 6pm on Monday evening, following his press conference, and it would be accurate to suggest the last managerial appointment to be greeted with such enthusiasm and positivity was Martin O’Neill some 16 years ago.
Celtic would have hearted by the numbers of supporters who, since the announcement was made, have ensured that they will be there in person to watch how the new man is going to lead the club.
“The fans will definitely get behind him and that has been shown by the amount of supporters buying season tickets already,” said Brown.
“It will be good for them to see the gaffer’s style of play and how we adapt to that in the coming months. The Champions League qualifiers are going to be huge for us and if they get behind us like they have got behind the manager so far then it will be an unbelievable boost.”