John Hartson is looking forward to the new Brendan Rodgers era at Celtic, despite being critical of him in the past for making the switch to Leicester City.
Hartson was outspoken at the time and publicly stated that he felt Rodgers had ‘pulled the wool’ over the eyes of the Celtic support. Like many, he’s ready to move on and hope for successful times under the new boss.
The former Celtic striker is encouraged by the possibility of a strong summer transfer window ahead, with the club already sealing the deal for midfielder Odin Thiago Holm on a five-year contract.
Hartson believes that Rodgers will be given significant resources to strengthen the squad and has picked the two positions he sees as most urgent.
Speaking to The Scottish Daily Mail [24/06 print edition, page 109], he said: “I’d like to see Celtic improve in Europe and give the fans some special nights under the lights at Celtic Park. That will be a key part of Brendan’s remit and he will be given the funds to do that.
“In my view, Celtic need another centre forward and another centre half. Those are certainly the areas I would be targeting.
“If anything happens to Kyogo Furuhashi, Hyeongyu Oh is there. The South Korean has promise but he has not played at the highest level yet and hasn’t a lot of experience. So I would be looking for another forward ahead of the Champions League group stage campaign kicking off.”
In defence, Celtic have the reliable Cameron Carter-Vickers and Carl Starfelt to call upon, but Hartson clearly feels there’s little depth there should either succumb to injury or suspension.
With the possibility of clubs coming in for our most talented players this summer, the club do need to be proactive and seek out quality options in almost every position across the pitch. It’d be great to see Rodgers strengthen the spine of the team, per Hartson’s wishes.
How competitive it allows us to be in a cash-rich Champions League environment remains to be seen. But that’s not an excuse not to go out and get the best available to us at our level.
In other news, Report: Celtic make their move for Brendan Rodgers’ next signing.
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