Chris Sutton thinks six senior Celtic stars have been ‘let down’ by the club’s hierarchy.
The Hoops endured a horrific summer transfer window that ended with them scrambling frantically for new signings on deadline day.
Celtic are cash rich yet spending was at a level fans deemed completely unacceptable, leading to protests which have escalated over the weeks.
The Celtic board tried to defend their recruitment with an insulting, unsigned statement that did not wash with supporters one bit.
CEO Michael Nicholson later admitted ‘mistakes had been made’ in the summer and the club will seek to learn from them for the future.
Sutton says Celtic’s senior men ‘let down’ by club
Sutton thinks, as a result of the shocking recruitment, senior players such as Callum McGregor, Cameron Carter-Vickers, Daizen Maeda, Liam Scales, Reo Hatate and Alistair Johnston have all been let down.
The Daily Record columnist says they now need to ‘shoulder’ that burden between now and the January transfer window opening.
Sutton wrote: “The fact the squad is not in the top form and wasn’t properly strengthened is deeply frustrating to their punters. That’s down to a recruitment policy which was incomprehensible.
“At the same time, it’s done. The squad is the squad until the New Year and now they are going to have to, somehow, successfully deal with a monumental period.
“Given the situation, I feel it’s going to fall onto the tried and tested from the recent past. Callum McGregor, Cameron Carter-Vickers, Daizen Maeda, Liam Scales, Reo Hatate, Alistair Johnston. Boys who have been over the course.
“Those guys have been let down by their own club in terms of transfer failings and now have to shoulder the big burden until January.
“Celtic’s much-talked about mistakes in the last baffling recruitment effort which will see a raft of those signed not actually being involved at Dundee tomorrow. Which says it all.”
The worry for Celtic going forward
Sutton has stuck up for the six players named in his column, and to an extent it is true that they haven’t been helped by the board’s poor recruitment.
Squads constantly need refreshed no matter how successful you are, which applies to Celtic more than any other club in Scotland.
There just hasn’t been that reinvigoration and new energy, which is partly why performances have been drab and tempo is nowhere what it should be.
The big worry now is that the likes of McGregor, Maeda and Hatate – guys you’d hang your hat on delivering consistently – are simply not doing it.
Those three are out of form, and that’s a concern for Brendan Rodgers.
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