Brendan Rodgers was yesterday asked about defensive reinforcements at his pre-match press conference for the St Johnstone match.
Speaking on Celtic TV, Rodgers had it put to him whether he was disappointed at the lack of action in defensive recruitment.
Celtic have signed three players in the transfer window so far. These are attackers Timothy Weah, Vakoun Issouf Bayo, and Oliver Burke. Despite links with right-backs such as Fernando Fonseca and Timothy Castagne, not one has come through the door.
And when Rodgers was asked about whether he was disappointed, he simply said “no”. When asked whether they’ll continue to look, Rodgers responded by saying that Celtic were “fine” and that they’ll see what they can bring in.
There have been plenty of opinions on Rodgers’ feelings towards the board from supporters. And he certainly didn’t sound convincing in his denial of disappointment over a lack of recruitment at the back.
Celtic haven’t extended right-backs’ contracts
Celtic haven’t been quick to tie up Mikael Lustig or Cristian Gamboa on new contracts. The pair are into the final few months of their deals, and there’s been no sign that they’ll be renewed.
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But if Rodgers isn’t annoyed at the lack of a right-back coming in, then why not? The club desperately need to invest in that area. Surely the only reason could be that Celtic have something up their sleeves for the final few days of the transfer window.
If they don’t, then it’s difficult to agree with Rodgers that he isn’t annoyed with the lack of action.
Celtic great Chris Sutton revealed on BT Sport’s Facebook page last week that he believed right-backs were turning Celtic down. If that was the case, you could at least forgive the club for at least trying to bring recruits in.
But Rodgers isn’t usually so brief in his answers to the media. Especially considering he’s really talking to the supporters with his responses.
It’s difficult to take him at anything other than face-value. But is he truly not disappointed in failing to sign a right-back yet? It’s just a tad hard to believe.