Brendan Rodgers admitted he regrets the “hurt” he caused Celtic supporters when he walked out for Leicester as he “guaranteed” he will see out the duration of his three-year contract this time round – unless he is sacked first.
The Northern Irishman returned to take charge of the Parkhead club on Monday, almost four and a half years after leaving for the Foxes in a move that sparked a backlash from a significant number of Hoops fans who felt betrayed that he left midway through a season when the team were chasing a treble-treble.
While many supporters have accepted Rodgers’ return to the club, the manager is hopeful he can win over those who still hold lingering resentment.
“Listen, I understand how supporters would feel,” he said as he faced the media at Parkhead on Friday for the first time since his appointment.
“It was an emotional time, the club was going for 10 in a row and there was a lot of emotion around.
“For the people I’ve had lots of support from since I left and now that I’ve come back, I really thank them for that. And for the people that maybe don’t want me here, hopefully I can shift their opinion with the football we play and the success we can have.”
Rodgers insists he has no regrets about taking the Leicester job but he is pleased to have an opportunity to try to make amends with the Hoops fans.
“I hope I can still have (a good relationship with the supporters),” he said. “It’s natural that when I left, it was a sad moment.
“I certainly don’t regret it but what I do regret is the hurt it caused people. And that’s the very reason I’m sat here today.
“As a Celtic supporter, I understood what it meant, and probably even more so when I left. That was my regret, that I hurt people who were Celtic supporters, and that was a big part of coming back.”
Rodgers’ previous Celtic reign lasted just over two and a half years. Asked if he envisages himself remaining for the long haul on this occasion, he said: “Well, hopefully. I signed for three years and I guarantee I will be here for three years unless I get emptied before that, as they say up here!
“That will be the plan. Then we can look at it from there.”
Nagelsmann hits out at 'racist' poll about make-up of Germany squad
Julian Nagelsmann has condemned a "racist" survey from German public broadcaster ARD, which asked respondents whether there should be more white players in the national team.
State broadcaster ARD asked 1,304 participants whether they would like to see more white players representing Germany at Euro 2024, with 21 per cent of respondents answering yes.
Germany and Bayern Munich midfielder Joshua Kimmich described the poll as "absolute nonsense" on Saturday, saying the diversity of the national team was a major positive.
Coach Nagelsmann echoed those sentiments during a media briefing at the team's Herzogenaurach training base on Sunday, saying: "It is racist. I feel we need to wake up.
"Many people now in Europe had to flee, searching for a safe country.
"Josh responded really well, with a very clear and thought-out statement. I see this in exactly the same way. This question is insane.
"There are people in Europe who have had to flee because of war, economic factors, environmental disasters, people who simply want to be taken in.
"We have to ask: What are we doing at the moment?
"We in Germany are doing very, very well, and when we say something like that, I think it's crazy how we turn a blind eye and simply block out such things."
Memphis Depay to leave Atletico Madrid as a free agent
Memphis Depay has confirmed he is leaving Atletico Madrid after 18 months at the Civitas Metropolitano.
Depay joined Atleti in a €4million deal last January after struggling to make an impression at Barcelona, initially signing a two-and-a-half-year contract.
However, the Netherlands international – who has been named in Ronald Koeman's squad for Euro 2024 – has now agreed to part ways with the club 12 months early.
Depay scored nine goals in 31 league appearances throughout his time with Atleti, though the form of Alvaro Morata and Antoine Griezmann limited him to just 12 starts.
In a post to X, the attacker hinted the parting was not entirely amicable, writing: "It's not easy to say how I feel about writing this message because I feel that things could’ve been very different.
"Maybe it's better to keep that conversation for another time…
"To Atleti, my team-mates, the staff and especially the fans, I want to thank you for the energy and support I've experienced in my time being an Atleti player.
"I keep the good memories close to my heart. Gracias."
Italiano confirms Fiorentina exit after Atalanta victory
Vincenzo Italiano confirmed he is leaving Europa Conference League runners-up Fiorentina after they ended their Serie A campaign with a 3-2 win at Atalanta on Sunday.
Italiano took charge of Fiorentina in 2021 and has led them to three successive top-eight finishes in Serie A, also reaching the Europa Conference League final in back-to-back campaigns.
However, they were beaten by a last-gasp Jarrod Bowen goal as West Ham lifted the trophy last year, then lost out to Olympiacos in extra time in the 2023-24 final.
The Viola wrapped up their campaign with an impressive 3-2 win at Atalanta in a rescheduled fixture on Sunday, after which he announced his departure.
"We all took this decision together not many weeks ago," Italiano told reporters after Sunday's game. "You reach a certain point where you have to stop.
"I'm convinced whoever arrives will be able to continue a path that will leave something improved, I hope I have left something to this group, I think they have been three positive years.
"The only regret was not having added the trophy, but as [Atalanta coach Gian Piero] Gasperini told me, these paths are worthwhile and will be remembered."
Reflecting on Fiorentina's latest European near miss, Italiano said he was confident his team would come out on top if the game was replayed.
He also said he regretted being unable to end a traumatic season with silverware, with the club being rocked by the death of general manager Joe Barone in March.
"I would play Olympiacos again tonight, we were all convinced we could beat them. We all believed we could reach the end of the cycle but we didn't succeed," Italiano said.
"The saddest moment was the loss of our director, the worst moment since I was in football. The love we had for him pushed us towards an emotional ending."
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