Leeds United race to hire Brendan Rodgers reaches conclusion amid Celtic twist
Brendan Rodgers is closing in on a sensational return to Celtic as manager, meaning Leeds are to miss out on another appointment according to The Guardian.
The club have held “positive talks” with the Northern Irish boss in recent days as they look to appoint a fifth manager since the start of last season, while Carlos Corberan and Daniel Farke are also of interest.
But Rodgers has “all-but sealed” a return to Parkhead after talks progressed this week with their hierarchy, leaving Leeds without their main managerial target once again.
“Celtic are close to sealing a stunning managerial return to the club for Brendan Rodgers,” they wrote (13 June).
“Leeds United had also set sights on Rodgers as they seek an immediate return to the Premier League.
“However, talks between Rodgers, Celtic’s main shareholder Dermot Desmond and other members of the Scottish champions’ board have progressed positively to the point where a second tenure is all-but sealed.”
Shame
It’s a shame that a move for Rodgers has seemingly not gone our way, but it was always looked at as a long shot for Leeds and the 49ers to pull that off.
Rodgers was on the verge of a triple treble when he left Celtic for Leicester, and then he led the Foxes to back-to-back fifth place finishes before winning the FA Cup.
The 2022/23 season was a tough one for him, but he’s clearly operating at a level above the Championship and Leeds were always shooting above their limits by trying to bring him in.
With this happening, it now seems sure that Farke is the favourite for the job at Elland Road as he is currently a free agent on the market while Corberan has a £2m release clause at West Brom.
Rodgers would have been a real coup and statement of intent from the new owners, but it wasn’t to be and the club have to move on quickly to ensure the right man is in place as quickly as possible.
In other Leeds news, one star is to miss the start of pre-season after an official announcement.