Former Celtic and Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers has resurfaced in the Saudi Pro League, accepting the Al Qadsiah job less than two months after leaving Scotland.

Rodgers, 52, left Celtic in acrimonious circumstances in late October after criticising the Hoops board and hitting out at their transfer market signings, leading the club’s principal shareholder Dermot Desmond to describe him as “divisive, misleading and self-serving”.

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Al Qadsiah, owned by Saudi state-owned oil company Aramco, are currently fifth in the Saudi league and sacked head coach Michel Gonzalez on Sunday.

Northern Irishman Rodgers was recruited by the former CEO of Celtic’s arch-rivals Rangers, James Bisgrove, who now holds the same role at Al Qadsiah.

Bisgrove described Rodgers’ arrival as a “landmark moment for the club”.

Rodgers will be in place for the January transfer window when the club is expected to seek to strengthen their squad.

Italy international Mateo Retegui and former Real Madrid defender Nacho Fernandez are currently the biggest names in their ranks.

Rodgers led Liverpool to a runner-up finish in the Premier League in the 2013-2014 season and won the FA Cup with Leicester in 2021.

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In two spells at Celtic he won the league four times, the Scottish Cup on three occasions and the League Cup four times.

Former manager Martin O’Neill steadied the ship at Celtic on an interim basis following the departure of Rodgers, but new French coach Wilfried Nancy has lost his first three matches.

– AFP

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