Chris Sutton commends the ‘interesting’ but ‘smart move’ Celtic have just made in the transfer market

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Chris Sutton doesn’t have much good to say about Celtic at the moment.

The Sky Sports pundit is frustrated by the Celtic board’s failure, as it stands, to properly back manager Brendan Rodgers in the transfer window.

With just a month to go, Celtic have hardly spent a thing relative to the last couple of summer windows under the stewardship of Rodgers.

Despite that, Sutton has dedicated column inches to praise the signing of one player who will join on loan for the duration of the 2025/26 campaign.

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Sutton’s verdict on Celtic signing Jahmai Simpson-Pusey

Jahmai Simpson-Pusey is effectively a done deal from Manchester City with Rodgers confirming the move at his Friday press conference.

Simpson-Pusey is only 19 but will compete with Celtic’s current central defenders for regular game time.

Sutton thinks the move from Celtic is interesting because it’s still up in the air what the youngster’s role will be in the squad.

However, the pundit has labelled the loan a smart one given Cameron Carter-Vickers’ injury record, suggesting he will be the American’s understudy.

Sutton told the Daily Record: “Jahmai Simpson-Pusey arriving is an interesting one.

“He’ll not be coming from Manchester City to sit on the bench but is he going to support or replace Cameron Carter-Vickers?

“By the sounds of it, Carter-Vickers is going to need a good few weeks to get up to speed after surgery in the summer, so it’s perhaps a smart move.

“It’s also a long season so you’d imagine Simpson-Pusey will get plenty of game time. We all know the issues are further up the pitch – and they’ll need to get it right.”

Rodgers describes Simpson-Pusey’s abilities

Speaking ahead of Flag Day on Sunday against St Mirren, Rodgers explained to the press why Simpson-Pusey has been brought to the club on loan.

Hailed by Man City boss Pep Guardiola last season, Simpson-Pusey was described as a ‘very gifted’ player by the Northern Irishman.

Rodgers said: “He has come through the system at Manchester City, his profile fits very much what we want from our centre halves.

“He’s quick, he’s dominant, he’s a good defender, and of course, at Celtic your centre-backs need to be able to progress the ball and that’s a big strength of his.”