Elena Sadiku has departed Celtic FC Women to pursue a new opportunity back home in Sweden at her form club BK Häcken, where she will be the new head coach…
Sadiku will be replaced by Grant Scott, who departs reigning SWPL1 champions Hibernian for the Celts.
The news broke yesterday afternoon but there were rumours swirling after the game on Sunday that she would walk away in January. There were mixed opinions over this, but due to the ongoing women’s fan media ban affected The Celtic Star and Cynic Women, we couldn’t ask the then Celtic FC Women manager question ourselves.
Elena joined Celtic in January 2024 and deserves credit for leading the Ghirls to a historic first league title. With the first portion of the season managed by Fran Alonso, who set up a good foundation for Celtic to thrive on, Sadiku’s squad managed to beat Hibernian on the final day thanks to a late Amy Gallacher winner.
After winning the title and giving themselves the opportunity, Celtic saw off Ukrainian side Vorskla Poltava the following season to become the first Scottish side to qualify for the UEFA Women’s Champions League group stage since it was introduced. This resulted in the women’s team making around £400k from UEFA, again a record income from European football from a Scottish women’s club.
Despite failing to pick up a single win, that can be brushed aside as it was notably a difficult group. Facing off against giants like Real Madrid and Chelsea, Celtic held their own against and Dutch side Twente. They even scored first against the Blues, sending the Celtic Park crowd into bedlam.
Although there is plenty of room to criticise the Swede, especially for the recent lack of results against the likes of theRangers and Glasgow City, it’s important to recognise that all in all, this has been an historic appointment. She leaves Celtic as having made history by becoming our first ever female coach and also our first ever title winning manager.
So Elena Sadiku’s name is in the Celtic history books, as well as some of the players who she has brought in, namely last season’s winner of the PFA Scotland Women’s Players’ Player of the Year award Emma Lawton.
If Sadiku had been backed more by the board, there is no doubt in my mind that she would have thrived. Like Brendan Rodgers she was vocal this season in the lack of backing from the Celtic Board. Celtic’s budget is lower than their main rivals in the SFPL and having brought in the Champions League revenue her hopes – and the supporters hopes – were high that this would be invested in the team.
With TEN players leaving at the end of last season amid dressing room unrest, and with taliswoman Caitlin Hayes having left last January the squad was threadbare going into this season but only a handful of signings were made – with two of those already leaving after ‘failing to settle in Glasgow’.
Hopefully, her new role back at BK Häcken will give her the opportunity to become the elite coach we all hoped she can be at Celtic. She was never given the tools. And after criticising the club for lack of backing in the transfer market we await Dermot Desmond’s deranged rant – maybe he’ll use his earlier template and just replace the Brendan’s name with Elena’s.
Good luck, Elena, thanks for the title day joy that will never be forgotten and remember: You’ll never walk alone!
Jessica Elliott
🥹💚🍀
Thank you for everything. To everyone at the Club and the fans.
I will carry these memories with me, forever. https://t.co/gJl4R1U5Ct— Elena Sadiku (@elenasadiku) December 22, 2025
BK Häckens nya huvudtränare, Elena Sadiku 🐝
Elena Sadiku lämnar skotska Celtic och har skrivit på ett treårsavtal för de svenska mästarna.
Läs mer på https://t.co/Z4su1qP1uD 🔗 pic.twitter.com/nKt1pOiikj
— BK Häcken (@bkhackenofcl) December 22, 2025
Thank you for the days @elenasadiku you brought the league to paradise and champions league football, all the best in everything you do.🧢 🇸🇪🍀 pic.twitter.com/C0ITEi3nbf
— Proud Huddle CSC (@CelticCSCPride) December 22, 2025
