Brendan Rodgers called for a club investigation to weed out the "cowardly" Celtic insider who briefed against him to a national newspaper last weekend, but remains "100%" open to extending his tenure at the club.
An unnamed source was quoted in the Scottish Sun last Saturday, claiming that senior figures inside Parkhead believed the manager was "engineering his exit" and that his public comments about the club's lack of summer signings had "torn the club apart".
Asked about the story at his press conference on Friday, Rodgers pointed out that it was not the first time someone within the club had spoken out against him.
"Yeah, well it was interesting when I was shown that," he said. "My honest take, I thought it was a cowardly action by whoever it is. It’s not something that you would want.
"And certainly my relationships with the guys that I am close with here within the board, I would struggle to understand the why. Because since I’ve come here, all I’ve tried to do is drive the club forward. Was I surprised by it? Not really.
"I think I was briefed upon the first time I was here when I left and now since I’ve come back. But I’m thick skinned.
"I know Dermot (Desmond, majority shareholder), Michael (Nicholson, chief executive), the guys that I work with or certainly communicate with on a daily basis, they feel the same as I.
"So yeah, it’s disappointing when it does come out and like I said, it’s a cowardly action but it just makes me more determined to succeed here.
"It’s not what you want to wake up on a Saturday and be shown. And I think the people who know me well, know my affinity for here, they know what I want.
"But they also know I don’t sit comfortable and if someone wants to sit comfortable and be happy with what they’ve got, then I’m the wrong manager to facilitate that because I’ll always demand that continual improvement.
"I want this club to succeed but for that, if I’m sat comfortable, then it’s not going to work. So I have to get uncomfortable and that means I have to then ask questions that maybe people don’t like – but that’s my job."
Asked if there should be an investigation into who was responsible for the story, Rodgers said: "I don’t think there’s any doubt.
"I think if you’re sat in the position that I’m in with the weight of the club on your shoulders, it’s so important that you feel supported.
"And I think that if anyone is briefing against that person when they know they could come and speak to me at any time, I’m here from early morning to late in the evening, or come to my house or do whatever.
"Listen, we all will have frustrations at times in our life and especially at Celtic where we’ve always got something.
"But – and it’s no disrespect to you guys (the media) – I would never ever think of going to bring that to the fore to hurt someone else, especially when that someone else is trying to give everything to the club.
"So, yeah, I’m pretty sure there will be some questions asked on it because there was quite a bit of detail in there – and wrong, I may add. But hopefully we’ll find out."
The manager has made no secret of his frustration at the club's failure to improve the squad before they crashed out of the Champions League at the hands of Kairat Almaty a fortnight ago.
Celtic fans are planning protests against the board as a result of their summer of woe and it had been widely speculated that the situation would prompt Rodgers to walk out on the club before or upon expiry of his contract at the end of this season.
However, the 52-year-old, revealed he had never entertained thoughts of leaving Parkhead for a second time and was "hopeful" of extending his deal - if the conditions were right.
Asked again if he felt let down by the club's inability to back him, Rodgers said: "It's not about me. I want Celtic to be the very best that it can be. My ambition is for the club, for our supporters, for the players.
"It's not a personal thing for me. I can only do my very best to improve what it is we need to improve. Whatever situation I'm in, I will then look to be the very best that I can be.
"The first time I was here, I probably left because of that (frustration at lack of backing). But I won't be doing that this time. Absolutely no chance - 100%.
"My duty is to be here and help the team, the squad, the club get back again and moving on."
Asked if a window that Rodgers admitted "could have been better for us" had made him ponder quitting, he said: "It didn't. It didn't make me think to walk away. I just felt empty, if I'm honest.
"It was a long process and the weight is on your shoulders when you're here, carrying everything. When it doesn't quite go the way you want, then of course you have an empty feeling.
"But then you know as one of the leaders of the club and particularly the manager of the team, you've got to get your head around it and you've got to deal with it and then you've got to try and maximise what you have."
On the prospect of a new deal, Rodgers added: "I haven't had an offer yet to think over and until that comes then I'm not going to be so arrogant to say, 'yeah, I want to be here for another three years'. The club might not want me here.
"So I have to respect that and until that happens. Then I just continue to do my job.
"And if going forward, if I do get offered a deal, then of course there needs to be conditions within that allows me to work to the best I possibly can. If not, then it's maybe just there's two philosophies that don't quite add up and I also accept that.
"I'll go away, I'll be a Celtic supporter for the rest of my life and we'll go our separate ways. But my hope was to come back here, to take the club forward.
"We've seen progress, we've seen Europe, we've seen everything - so can we sustain that? It hasn't quite happened for us in the Champions League, but I'm hopeful that in the future something can be resolved."
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