Dermot Desmond may believe he has achieved all that he can at Celtic and is now looking to hand increasing responsibility to his son. 

That's according to journalist Stuart Hodge, who was speaking to Give Me Sport.

The lowdown

Irish businessman Desmond is the largest individual shareholder at the Glasgow club, but back in March this year, he was compelled to deny any suggestion that his shares were up for sale.

He also insisted in that interview that he was 'as passionate about Celtic as any other supporter', and that any accusation to the contrary was 'contemptible'.

Since Desmond first invested in the Hoops in 1995, they have bagged 16 Premiership titles, 11 Scottish Cups and 10 Scottish League Cups. Under Martin O'Neill, they also reached the final of the UEFA Cup in 2003.

The latest

Speaking to Give Me Sport, Hodge pointed to the 2016/17 season, when Brendan Rodgers led Celtic to one of four domestic trebles without losing a single Premiership game, as the inevitable peak of the Desmond era. He added that the businessman may be looking to pass on his involvement in the club to his offspring.

Hodge said: "In terms of domestically, Brendan Rodgers swept house. It means he has basically achieved everything that he wanted to. He has done an unbeaten domestic season where they won a treble and you don't get better than that.

"Is his love for it there and is his ambition what it was? I think there are question marks over that. I know for a fact that he's looking to pass more of the responsibility onto his son."

The verdict

What might still drive Desmond? Of course there's the incentive of regaining the Premiership crown from Rangers, who stopped Celtic from making it 10 titles in a row last season. What about re-establishing the club as a genuine European force? Their recent continental record makes for sorry reading - eliminated in the Europa League group stages in 2021/22 and 2020/21, and only one round better in the two seasons previous. Ultimately, some Celtic fans might not be unhappy to see Desmond walk away, with one supporters' group complaining of a disconnect between the 71-year-old and the Hoops faithful. On the contrary, though, Paddy Kenny argued that the businessman and the board deserved 'huge' plaudits for the manner in which they backed Ange Postecoglou last summer, with the manager bringing in a dozen new signings to the tune of more than £20m. Judging by the club's success during his 26-year involvement at Parkhead, Desmond has earned the right to stand down on his own terms. In other news, Kieran Devlin has issued an injury update on one Celtic starlet