Rodgers Seeks Champions League For Celtic

New Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers has set his sights on continuing to dominate Scottish football and is determined to lead the Hoops back into the Champions League.

The 43-year-old's appointment on a 12-month rolling contract was announced by Celtic on Friday and he was presented to the media on Monday afternoon.

The Northern Irishman has been out of football since being sacked by Liverpool last October. Rodgers believes he is taking over one of the biggest football clubs in the world and insisted leaving the Premier League to manage Celtic is not a step down for him.

"My emotional attachment to the football club is very strong and has been for many years," he said. "There was a draw for me here. People talk about levels, but Celtic is one of the biggest football clubs in the world.

"For me to leave the Premier League and come up here - it is certainly not a step down. This is one of the great clubs in the world and it is an institution in its own right.

"It is a great honour and a privilege for me to be able to manage Glasgow Celtic. For me the objective is pretty clear. It is to continue with the domination of Scottish football and also to make an impact in European football.

"The tradition of Celtic, as the first British team to win the European Cup, is very important and there have been many great European nights here at Parkhead.

"I want to revive that and get back into the Champions League."

Rodgers held extensive talks with club chief executive Peter Lawwell and majority shareholder Dermot Desmond before taking over and he revealed he has been given assurances that he will be backed in the transfer market if the right player becomes available.

"I've spoken at length with Peter and Dermot," Rodgers said. "They want to invest in the club. They want to keep the club moving forward.

"But it's also about the players that are here. Sometimes people will want you to go and buy a £10m player, but your first look has to be within your own youth department.

"We have got a good squad here and of course we want to improve on it. We will look to do that over the coming years."

He added: "I have been given enough assurances that if a player becomes available and we can afford him and it fits then we can possibly get him in."