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Brendan Rodgers will not quit Celtic this season to take a job in the Premier League, Bhoys legend John Hartson told The Glasgow Times via The Daily Star.
What's the word?
After two trophy-laden seasons in charge of Celtic, Brendan Rodgers continues to be a man attracting a lot of interest as a host of clubs are regularly attributed with interest in taking the former Liverpool manager away from Glasgow.
Newcastle United, rock-bottom of the Premier League, are one of the teams most recently linked with interest in bringing Rodgers back to English football but Celtic legend John Hartson is confident the Northern Irish boss is going nowhere.
Speaking to The Glasgow Times via The Daily Star, Hartson said Rodgers had personally told him he is happy in Scotland and believes he is determined to remain at the club to deliver an eighth title in a row for the Bhoys this season, then pushing for ten in the coming years.
What was said?
"I don’t care if Newcastle are looking at him and thinking that he might be the man if they part company with Rafa Benitez. Or if Leicester are thinking that he might be a better option than Claude Puel.
"In terms of money both of these clubs could blow Celtic entirely out of the water both in terms of what they can offer on a personal level and on a transfer budget. But that isn’t what it is about for Rodgers.
"I know because he has told me personally than he is happy with his life and happy at his work in Glasgow. I honestly believe what I am saying. I think Brendan has his heart set on being the man to deliver the ten.
"I don’t think he would ever say that publicly and not do I think that he will really focus too much on anything other than ensuring Celtic get to eight this season, but the bottom line for me is that he is motivated and happy at his work."
Will he stay?
The key here is what a potential suitor for Rodgers can offer him and, in the case of Newcastle and Leicester, they will not be able to match the honours that he can win at Celtic or the regular European action that he enjoys.
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Missing out on a spot in the Champions League group stages this season will have been a huge blow to Rodgers and it would not be a surprise if he is determined to stay on to bring the club back to that level next season.
On top of this, Scottish football has been more exciting this season with the resurgence of Rangers under Steven Gerrard and the solid start from Hearts, which presents Rodgers with a much bigger challenge domestically than he has faced in recent campaigns.