Brendan Rodgers has been warned that he may live to regret leaving “giant club” Celtic for Leicester, with Gordon Strachan adamant that he has no desire to succeed the Northern Irishman at Parkhead.
The Scottish champions revealed on Tuesday that they have granted their boss permission to speak with the Foxes about their managerial vacancy.
It is expected that Rodgers will agree to fill a void at the King Power Stadium created by Claude Puel’s departure.
He has worked in the Premier League before at Swansea and Liverpool, and will not be criticised for wanting to return to the more competitive surrounds of the English top flight.
Strachan has, however, questioned whether Rodgers should have been holding out for a more high-profile post having proved himself to be a serial winner in Glasgow.
The ex-Bhoys boss told Paddy Power: “I’m disappointed Brendan has left Celtic for Leicester – I would’ve wanted him to at least have stayed until the end of the season.
“I thought Brendan would wait a wee while longer, and get a club somewhere around the world that guarantees you Champions League football. But I understand that he, and the club, have probably made a decision to remove the uncertainty from the situation. The club can now move forward.
“Let’s get one thing clear: Celtic are a giant club. One of the biggest in the world. Far bigger than Leicester. But that’s not the comparison – the Premier League is so far advanced of Scotland’s that it’s unreal.
“There’s a point when you’re in Scotland when you say ‘I’m at a huge club here, but is it enough?’ Was the league still testing Brendan? It did for the first season or two, because it was fresh, but it mightn’t have felt fresh anymore. His best team was probably in his first season.
“It’s a blow to the club, but they’ve lost managers before and dealt with it. There’ll be a mad rush around the world now, of people wanting to apply to work at Celtic. The people behind the scenes at the club have seen it all before. They’re so good at their job, it’s like working with chess players.
“They can see problems coming, they’ll have prepared for this – they would’ve known it was coming. There’ll be a lot of great managers they talk to. They’ve hired people before with links to the club, but also without links.
“The next appointment will say a lot about how Celtic see themselves. Do they keep playing the same way that Brendan had them – that might be a good idea. They have the means to buy players better than the rest of the division, so it’s a great job.”
Strachan held that “great job” for four years between 2005 and 2009, winning three league titles, two League Cups and the Scottish Cup.
He has been out of management since leaving a role with the Scotland national side in 2017, but insists he has no desire to return to Parkhead.
The 62-year-old added: “Would I be interested? No, no, no, no. If you’ve had such a good time at a club, like I did at Celtic, I don’t think I could retrace my steps. Unless that’s the only place you’ve felt alive and it’s your club. Others have done it, but I’ve moved onto different things now.”
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