Rodgers insists he will see out Celtic contract

Brendan Rodgers is adamant there is "absolutely no chance" he will walk away from Celtic this season amid frustration over transfer activity.

Rodgers is still waiting on the attacking reinforcements he called for before the season started and fans turned on the board as their team were held to a goalless draw at home by Kairat Almaty in the first leg of the Champions League play-offs on Wednesday.

The 52-year-old is in the final season of his three-year contract but insists nothing has changed for him since the day he returned to Celtic Park following a spell at Leicester.

When told that some fans feared he may walk out before the end of the season, Rodgers said: "Absolutely no chance. No chance.

"We've done that one before – it didn’t go down well. I said from the first day, and there’s no hidden messages and there’s no this and that, I said I’d be here for three years and I’m here for three years."

Rodgers revealed on the eve of the season that he had told his employers he would only consider extending his contract if the club showed ambition.

Since then they have only signed 19-year-old Manchester City defender Jahmai Simpson-Pusey on loan.

"People look to find that conflict between me and the board or me and whoever. It really isn't the case"

When asked about his prospects of staying longer, Rodgers said: "I’m still in the same position. I need to, one, earn the right to be here. Of course, I want what’s the best for Celtic and I want us to be really successful.

"People look to find that conflict between me and the board or me and whoever. It really isn’t the case.

"The board here at the football club over many years have managed the financial side of the game and run the club to an impeccable level.

"My job here as the football manager is to really drive and demand, and for us to live in a cycle where we understand that, okay, we will lose some players, but it doesn’t have this massive impact that it seems to sometimes do, and that we can just lose big players and then bring in other ones, rather than to wait. So that cycle I want us to be in.

"But there’s certainly no conflict. Everyone at this club from the board to myself, we want the very, very best for Celtic. And, for me, longer term, I don’t think so much as the manager.

"I had the chances over the summer but I said now the season starts I only want to think of the football. I don’t want to think of the contract. Just think of the football and that will come later on if it does."

However, Rodgers added: "I do understand where supporters are coming from. The supporters pay and they want the best team on the pitch as early as possible and they have every right to feel frustrated, or air that.

"But my message is that everyone together and unified is the strength of Celtic and that can hopefully be the case."

Rodgers had no incoming transfer updates but confirmed that Marco Tilio was close to finalising a move after the Australian winger was linked with Rapid Vienna throughout the summer.

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