Celtic boss Brendan Rodgers isn’t holding back his view of the club’s recruitment this summer as we barrel towards the transfer deadline.
Rodgers hasn’t complained about transfer business much this summer. He’s preached unity and made it clear he is allied with the board as the club seek to strengthen his squad for the challenges ahead.
After watching Celtic beat St Mirren 3-0, however, he made it as clear as possible that he hasn’t been happy with the way the window has panned out so far.
Talking up the expectations of fans, Rodgers admitted it’s all been far slower than he would have liked as a manager. It’s a message that must be heeded by Chief Executive Michael Nicholson and company over the coming days.
Brendan Rodgers’ ‘bottom line’ on Celtic player recruitment
Speaking in a post-match press conference, the Bhoys boss said [Daily Record]: “It’s a really important week for us. As a football club, we want to develop, we want to improve.
“We can’t be happy just to make our money and build our pot because the bottom line is on the pitch. That’s the bottom line. The supporters, they pay the money. I look back to the Covid times here, the Celtic supporters sold the stadium out and they weren’t allowed in it.
“So we have the duty to put the best team on the pitch. That’s what we’ll do and look to do. It’s taken a bit longer than I would have liked. But if we can do it by Friday, strengthen the squad, we’ll be in a really, really good place. The team is in a good place, mentally, tactically, how they’re playing. But we want to strengthen and have that depth.
“It’s taken a lot longer than I would have liked as the football manager. That’s my brutally honest answer on it. But I will repeat this. If we get them in, then there’s still a long season ahead. So it’s important that we do get that. And I have belief that we will do.
“There are a number of things I won’t go into here. But it’s definitely something – having come back in and gone through three windows now – we have to put right as a football club. We shouldn’t have been getting into this last week in the position we’re in. That’s the reality.
“However, that’s something for us for after this window. As I said, we’ll get the players in that we want. We don’t need to manufacture our own stress when there’s no need. We don’t need to do that. So we’ll be calm this week. We’ll look to get the players in that can strengthen us.”
Celtic have an elite manager and he must be backed
For me, Rodgers has been excellent since returning as Celtic boss. His arrival last summer wasn’t easy for him or for a section of supporters.
It took time to galvanise the squad, unite them with the fans and have it all feeling like the true Celtic experience again. Since the turn of the year he’s done that.
He’s done a superb job developing the players he has. He must be backed and given the players he now wants. We know that Celtic have the money, especially after the imminent sale of Matt O’Riley to Brighton.
With his answer today, Rodgers has made the lines very clear. There are no hidden messages. He isn’t being cryptic. He’s just said it how it is from his perspective and how it needs to be this week.
Fans should take notice of that. Rodgers is making a strong point. We’ll all know where the criticism should be aimed if the club don’t deliver.
Receive a digest of our best Celtic content each week direct to your mailbox
