Darren O'Dea reveals Brendan Rodgers' influence in Celtic exit but makes point
Darren O'Dea is buzzing to join Swansea City as the right-hand man to Alan Sheehan, and he's opening up about waving goodbye to his cherished Celtic.
The former Bhoys youth and coach, aged 38, is ready to tackle the new challenge in the English Championship as Sheehan's No2, leaving behind his roots at Parkhead where he climbed the ladder both on the pitch and alongside the squad under gaffers like Brendan Rodgers and Ange Postecoglou.
Leaving Celtic wasn't a snap decision for O'Dea; he confesses that a nod of approval from Rodgers towards Swansea played a significant role in his bold move.
Chatting with Swansea's official site, he couldn't hide his enthusiasm: "I am delighted, I knew of the interest and I spoke with Alan a number of weeks ago.
"Obviously I have been with a club I have grown up in, so it was difficult to come to terms with the decision in terms of leaving, but once I spoke to him and had an insight into what the club is wanting to do, I wanted to join.", reports the Daily Record.
"I had a good understanding of the club anyway, but it's a really exciting project, one I wanted to be a part of and I am delighted it is done now.
"I would not have left Celtic unless it was for something I felt very strongly about.
"Of course, the club and its prestige and the intensity of it is something I am used to, and I wanted to work with and for Alan.
"You combine those two things, and the conversations I have had with other people at the club who will be working with us, and it just fits. It's something I am really happy to be part of.
"I think Alan and I are similar in terms of how we work and how we see things.
"He will be the one making the decisions, but I was clear I did not want to work in a way where I would sacrifice principles that I have got, and the conversations I had mean I know we are not going to be doing that.
"When the question came, it was a 'yes'."
He went on to say: "This club is similar to Celtic in that it has a real identity, it is not just enough to come in here and just win, there needs to be more. There needs to be a product on the pitch that the fans relate to.
"Speaking to Brendan, who has been brilliant in all this, he talked about the fanbase having a big understanding of their football.
"He could not have spoken more highly of the club and the city, and the DNA of the club.
"That is a real big driver in me wanting to come here, it's really important to me."
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Darren O'Dea reveals Brendan Rodgers' influence in Celtic exit but makes point
Darren O'Dea is buzzing to join Swansea City as the right-hand man to Alan Sheehan, and he's opening up about waving goodbye to his cherished Celtic. The former Bhoys youth and coach, aged 38, is ready to tackle the new challenge in the English Championship as Sheehan's No2, leaving behind his roots at Parkhead where he climbed the ladder both on the pitch and alongside the squad under gaffers like Brendan Rodgers and Ange Postecoglou. Leaving Celtic wasn't a snap decision for O'Dea; he confesses that a nod of approval from Rodgers towards Swansea played a significant role in his bold move. Chatting with Swansea's official site, he couldn't hide his enthusiasm: "I am delighted, I knew of the interest and I spoke with Alan a number of weeks ago. "Obviously I have been with a club I have grown up in, so it was difficult to come to terms with the decision in terms of leaving, but once I spoke to him and had an insight into what the club is wanting to do, I wanted to join.", reports the Daily Record. "I had a good understanding of the club anyway, but it's a really exciting project, one I wanted to be a part of and I am delighted it is done now. "I would not have left Celtic unless it was for something I felt very strongly about. "Of course, the club and its prestige and the intensity of it is something I am used to, and I wanted to work with and for Alan. "You combine those two things, and the conversations I have had with other people at the club who will be working with us, and it just fits. It's something I am really happy to be part of. "I think Alan and I are similar in terms of how we work and how we see things. "He will be the one making the decisions, but I was clear I did not want to work in a way where I would sacrifice principles that I have got, and the conversations I had mean I know we are not going to be doing that. "When the question came, it was a 'yes'." He went on to say: "This club is similar to Celtic in that it has a real identity, it is not just enough to come in here and just win, there needs to be more. There needs to be a product on the pitch that the fans relate to. "Speaking to Brendan, who has been brilliant in all this, he talked about the fanbase having a big understanding of their football. "He could not have spoken more highly of the club and the city, and the DNA of the club. "That is a real big driver in me wanting to come here, it's really important to me."
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