Chris Sutton believes the Celtic board failing to back Neil Lennon in the transfer market over the next few weeks would be “nothing short of negligent”, writing in his weekly Daily Record column.
Celtic cashed in on Kieran Tierney last week for a £25m fee, leaving Lennon’s team short of its first-choice left-back.
A number of positions need greater squad depth and a few quality signings could be difference makers to the Hoops’ season.
Sutton now has some serious words of advice when it comes to how the Hoops should approach the end of the transfer window.
As quoted by The Daily Record, Sutton said: “If Lennon is not given serious money to do it then it will be nothing short of negligent and anyone on the board who thinks the squad has enough right now is delusional.
“There was a huge amount of waste in terms of signings under Rodgers and Lee Congerton.
“But you can’t have the manager working with one hand behind his back.”
Is Sutton right?
Sutton’s comments are strong, but he is unlikely to be alone with his thoughts.
Some Celtic fans have a real expectancy of at least some reinvestment of the £25m fee recently received.
Lennon has urged caution when it comes to big additions, perhaps a reflection of the club’s current policy.
Left-back is the most glaringly obvious position that needs competition. Boli Bolingoli has had ups and downs in his short Hoops career so far. At the very least needs competent back-up.
At right-back and centre-back there’s a shortage of quality depth too. However, players like Jack Hendry and Anthony Ralston may need to move to make room.
A once long summer with massive amounts of time to strengthen is almost over. There is now serious pressure to make additions. There’s either a Champions League or Europa League play-off on the immediate horizon and the end of the transfer window is in just a few weeks time.
Celtic are in great shape domestically. Is the current squad well-equipped enough for serious European challenges? Do we have enough depth for deep progression in four competitions?
These are questions that will be on the recruitment team’s minds before the end of August.
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