Celtic chief makes 'world class football club' claim and gives Brendan Rodgers 'dominate' aim

Celtic want to be a “world class football club” in whatever they do as new manager Brendan Rodgers has been given the task of continuing to dominate in Scotland.

The 50-year-old was unveiled on Friday afternoon, returning to the Scottish champions to replace Ange Postecoglou. His first spell, from the summer of 2016, started a period of outright dominance for the club. Of the last 21 trophies up for grabs, Celtic have claimed 17 with St Johnstone and Rangers the only other clubs to win trophies in that time.

Rodgers will encounter a Scottish football landscape which is slightly different to the one he did in 2016. Celtic remain champions but they are a much stronger force. He will also encounter a different Rangers. Their Glasgow rivals are more of a threat. They’ve recently reached a Europa League final, compared to having spent two seasons in the Championship before the Northern Irishman's first spell. Chief executive Michael Nicholson is keen for that domination to continue.

“From our perspective the strategy has always been clear and that’s to be a world class football club in whatever we do,” he said. “We want to dominate in Scotland, we want to compete in the Champions League and that’s been clearly stated for many, many years. So there is no change in that regard. What we have done is to try and continuously improve as a football club and to invest. We have got a sustainable model, a self-financing model so we invest when we can for today, tomorrow and for the long-term. We all want the same thing, which is to win.”