Former Celtic boss Gordon Strachan asserts Ange Postecoglou has been backed

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Former Celtic boss Gordon Strachan believes Ange Postecoglou has been backed this transfer window.

Supporters and pundits alike, including Chris Sutton, have claimed that Postecoglou has not been given sufficient backing by the board. So far, Liel Abada, Kyogo Furuhashi, Liam Shaw, Carl Starfelt and Osaze Urhoghide have arrived this summer.

However, Celtic do need strengthened in key positions for Postecoglou to have a real shot at restoring the Bhoys’ dominance domestically.

Strachan said [Daily Record]:

“The argument has been that he’s not been getting helped but he has been. They’ve got three big money players in right away.

“People may say it’s a bit late but, usually, most of these transfers are made in the last few weeks. If you look at the market now, there’s nothing much going on anywhere else.

“OK, Manchester United might have spent money on Jadon Sancho but they’ve not signed three at that price. Celtic’s limit is three or four million so that’s big money for them.

“I don’t think any other team has brought in three or four big hitters at this stage of the summer. So you have to keep things in context of what’s going on everywhere else.”

Gordon Strachan is right to a degree, but Celtic boss Ange Postecoglou needs more

Technically speaking, Strachan’s right. It’s not as if the Celtic board haven’t given Postecoglou support. Dermot Desmond has even got himself involved in transfers this summer, according to a report [Daily Record].

However, it’s pretty plain to see Celtic need reinforcements across the park. Just as they did in the 05-06 season, when Gordon Strachan was named Bhoys boss. Famously, he brought in myriad players to build his own squad in the post-Martin O’Neill era [Transfermarkt].

It’s not really about what other clubs are doing. They’re fine for comparison, but Celtic’s squad issues are their own.

Before we can really be sure of a tilt at Europe, and having the team to beat domestically, some signings are certainly needed. They may not necessarily have to be big names, on big fees, but they’re needed.

That requires backing from the board.

The crumb of comfort here is that it does look like some new faces will come through the door. The Bhoys are reportedly in talks with Japan defender Ko Itakura, while Postecoglou refused to be drawn on other rumours, including Aurelio Buta’s arrival from Antwerp.

Read more: Tonight’s opposition boss on what he expects from Celtic