Rodgers' Candid Interview: Celtic's Transfer Window Woes

Brendan Rodgers has delivered his most candid interview of the year as he stares at Celtic finishing the transfer window in a weaker position that they started January.

Jota came off the bench to seal a victory over Motherwell to keep Celtic on course for a fourth successive title.

Rodgers has ambitions beyond the domestic scene and has lost one key starter from his squad and a vital back up player.

Kyogo Furuhashi was selected to lead the line against YB Bern in the Champions League but within 24 hours he was in France negotiating the final detail on a move to Rennes.

With just over 24 hours left in the Transfer Window there is no sign of a replacement for Kyogo, clearly there was no succession plan in place with supporters baffled at the timing of the move which leaves the Celtic forward line short on options.

Of lesser concern is the decision of Barcelona to recall Alex Valle which leaves Greg Taylor as the only left-back in the first team squad.

Daizen Maeda and Liam Scales can improvise in those positions but it is clear that Celtic have been weakened, an assessment that Rodgers isn’t backing away from.

Discussing transfer matters at Fir Park this afternoon Rodgers admitted:

We can bring players in that can do well. Like we can take Nicholas Kuhn off, put Jota in to the game, which keeps the level of the game up. We play so many games. And how we want to play takes a lot of work, a lot of intense work.

My feeling was always once Kyogo was gone, was to have someone else to come in. So that’s the plan. And hopefully that can be the case, and we execute that by tomorrow night.

The club knows my feelings, they know why I came back. I’m here to enjoy my time at Celtic, not to fall out with myself and do all the things that sometimes I maybe didn’t do the first time.

But the demand is still there to improve the squad. We have to. We have to make sure that there’s constant improvement. That’s been clear. I don’t need to fall out with anyone over it. Everyone knows what it is we want to do at the club and that’s us all. I’m hopeful that we can do that.

Asked if a new striker would probably be on a loan Rodgers admitted:

I would think so. I would think so. I think that to get the one that we would want for that longer term, if it’s not there, then I don’t want to just bring in anyone just for the sake of it. I’ll always look from within.

There’s no point in bringing in someone if they’re not the right fit. So it might be more down that route, but we’ll wait and see what tomorrow evening brings.

Previously Rodgers had given a stock answer of everyone working very hard to improve the squad but clearly Michael Nicholson has been unable to conclude deals.

Despite long running interest it seems that Brondby’s stance on Mathias Kvistgaaren has been strengthened by Celtic’s Kyogo fee with little sign of an alternative plan.

Former Leicester City striker Kelechi Iheanacho was mentioned on Saturday but that option was quickly ruled out with Middlesbrough favourites to sign the Sevilla striker on loan.

Clubs and agents are desperate to move players on this month but after the summer 2023 Transfer Window supervised by Mark Lawwell it seems that Rodgers is no longer accepting sub-standard players on trust. His judgement is in question with every signing and there will be no more Marco Tilio’s, Kwon Hyeok-kyu or Luis Palma type signings pushed into the Celtic squad.

Rather than accept a Vakoun Bayo or Ollie Burke level striker Rodgers has made it clear that he won’t nod through recommendations from elsewhere inside Celtic.