Earlier, he had to sheepishly admit to interviewer Conor Brophy that his phone had gone off and, when asked by the overall event presenter Alison Comyn if the call had been from Celtic, he initially said that it had been his wife before addressing it.
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Celtic Chairman Ian Bankier added: “We are all Celtic supporters and we all know that there can be disappointments in football, but I know Ronny is a man who has given his very best to the job and someone who will always care passionately about the Club”.
“I’ve had unbelievably good communication with the board and [chief executive] Peter [Lawwell] and in bad times and good times and that’s why I sit here and I’m not a bitter man”, said Deila to the Scottish Sun. A great football club with unbelievable support and fan base, one of the biggest in the world.
And Deila insists Celtic can get back into the group stages of the Champions League.
Deila won the double in his first season, but an exit always seemed likely after their disappointing Cup campaigns domestically and in Europe. “I don’t think it’s a relevant question to be honest to be asking right now”, the current Hibernian manager said of speculation linking him with the Bhoys.
“I only ever met Ronny at the pre-game press conference and had half an hour chatting with him”.
And that’s even though he will depart with back to back Scottish Premier League titles and a League Cup victory.
Former Celtic defender Vidar Riseth believes Ronny Deila will not be waiting long to receive job offers at European clubs as he remains a sought-after manager.
Meanwhile former Everton and Manchester United boss David Moyes is reportedly waiting in the wings to succeed Deila as manager, with former Bolton boss Neil Lennon also confirming he would be keen to return to the club he managed between 2010 and 2014.
They did make it to the last 32 of the Europa League before losing narrowly to Inter Milan but another Champions League failure against Malmo in this year’s qualifiers only increased the doubts about Deila’s leadership.
“I’ve never hidden my affinity for the club”, said Lennon.
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That was at a time when the Easter Road side were considered real contenders for the Ladbrokes Championship crown but they eventually fell away, leaving Rangers to clinch the title while Hibs now have a scrap on their hands to gain promotion through the play-offs. “There’s no point to me speculating on anything like that – I’m focusing on the Helsingborgs job”, he said.
