Brendan Rodgers addresses Celtic fan conspiracy theory, transfer notoriety and Daizen Maeda situation

In a light-hearted moment during his pre-match press conference ahead of the Premier Sports Cup last 16 clash with Falkirk at Parkhead on Friday night, Rodgers was asked for his reaction to claims made supporters online that, by not sporting his usual attire, he may have been displaying his frustration over the club's lack of new signings this summer.

A caller on the Radio Clyde Superscoreboard phone-in also described Rodgers' lack of tie as "alarming for every Celtic fan" and an indication that he would be leaving the club at the end of the season when his current contract is due to expire.

Rodgers, however, put the conspiracy theories to bed by insisting the weather was to blame for his appearance.

“It's unbelievable," he replied. "Someone has told me this here. I'm supposedly sending messages. It’s unbelievable. I'm basically like everyone else. See when it's really hot, you either have to take off your jacket or your tie. And see when it's really cold, you wear a jumper.

"So I remember last year I wore a jumper. People say, he's sending a message. What message? It was bloody freezing. I was standing with a jumper on and a big coat and it was up to there and I'm fine.

"And last week, there were two grounds that I've realised in my career that are absolutely boiling, right? If you get it at the at the time and the sun's hitting your dugout. Pittodrie and Preston.

"I went there once before and I got absolutely roasted on the on the day and Pittodrie's the same because the sun comes and it hits you. So I thought, well, I've either got to take off my jacket or take off my tie. So I took my tie off. I don't know what message that is. I'm just warm.

"This is modern football. So, I'm sorry if I've wasted people's energy and time on being wrong, but I was just a wee bit hot and that's why I was no tie."

Rodgers was also asked whether any new signings would be arriving before the Champions League play-off first leg against Kairat Almaty at Celtic Park on Wednesday.

"Hopefully would be the answer to that," he said. "We have right up until, I believe, the day before the game to change our squad, so hopefully that can be the case.

"I don't want to dwell too much on it. It's been constant and I'm not clever enough to say the same thing 20 times differently. So we hope that we can improve it, and hopefully by then we will do."

Celtic have parted with only £3.5million in the transfer window thus far with modest sums spent recruiting midfielder Benjamin Nygren, striker Shin Yamada and left-back Hayato Inamura. Kieran Tierney returned to the club on a free from Arsenal while centre-back Jahmai Simpson-Pusey has arrived on loan from Manchester City.

Celtic have yet to replace winger Nicolas Kuhn, who was sold to Como for £16.5 million on July 11. Asked whether the lack of transfer activity had become a frustration, Rodgers' added: "No, I'm philosophical about it. I think that the club has always notoriously done business towards the end of the window. I think that all managers and coaches want the players in as soon as we can because pre-season is for preparation and you want to be as prepared as you possibly can be.

"With the players we get in or not, what I know is that the players that are here have, and what has gone unnoticed a little bit is that we've made a really good start. We've had two really good wins, played well, and I know we'll get better. But I can't knock the performance over the two games to get the results. And sometimes that has been clouded a wee bit in all the negativity around the transfers. So I'm really just trying to focus on the guys that are here. There’s lots of stuff going on in the background and then hopefully we can come out of the end of the market in a good place."

Rodgers also addressed the situation surrounding Daizen Maeda amid reported transfer interest in the Japanese forward after a stellar 2024-25 campaign. Discussions have taken place around a contract extension, with his current deal due to expire in 2027, but no agreement has been reached as yet.

"There have been discussions going on in the background, but I don't have updates on it," Rodgers said. "He's been here four years, he's progressed every year he's been here and finished off a brilliant season for him.

"I think what you always get with Daizen is 100 per cent. He's not quite up to full speed yet, but no, I don't know of any developments on there." Asked if confident that last season’s Player of the Year will remain at Celtic beyond the end of the transfer window, Rodgers added. "Yeah, yeah. I'm fairly confident of that. As could be."