Brendan Rodgers has been named as the top target for Nottingham Forest as pressure mounts on Nuno Espirito Santo. Celtic’s former boss, Ange Postecoglou, could sensationally return to Parkhead if Rodgers were to leave.
The report in the Sun, penned by reliable journalist Alan Nixon, states that Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis is expected to sack Nuno next week, with Rodgers at the top of the club’s wish list. The news comes just days before Celtic face a crucial Champions League qualifier in Kazakhstan against Kairat Almaty.
We reported yesterday that Forest have Rodgers in their sights, and while the interest is very real, the Celtic manager has already moved to calm any panic. On Friday, Rodgers told media: “No chance. Absolutely no chance. No chance! We’ve done that one before. It didn’t go down well! So, no, no, listen, 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. I’m here for three years.”
Still, Forest are likely to ask the question regardless of that stance, particularly if Celtic fail to qualify for the Champions League or continue to stall in the transfer market. The suggestion is that such factors could make an exit “easier.”
The shock twist in the story is the mention of Ange Postecoglou as a potential name to return to Celtic if Rodgers were to go. The 59-year-old, who left for Tottenham after winning five trophies in two seasons at Parkhead, is now out of work after a short-lived but successful European run in London.
“Ange Postecoglou, 59, has also been linked with Forest and is clear to take a job after leaving Tottenham in the summer,” Nixon writes. “But he may yet replace Rodgers at Celtic.”
As it stands, there’s no immediate danger for Celtic. Rodgers is committed, and the club are focused on Tuesday night’s vital second leg. But the noise around his future won’t go away quietly, especially with clubs in England circling and unrest still simmering in Glasgow.
