In response to the potential impact of the Asian Cup on Celtic’s squad, Brendan Rodgers has expressed the need for strategic planning in the January transfer window.
The tournament could see Celtic without key players like Kyogo, Daizen Maeda, Reo Hatate from Japan, and Oh Hyeon-gyu, Yang Hyun-jun from South Korea. Their absence is significant during a period with challenging fixtures, including games against Aberdeen, Hibs, Kilmarnock, and Ross County, and a Scottish Cup tie yet to be drawn.
Rodgers highlighted the likelihood of these players’ participation in the Cup speaking to Football Scotland: “The likelihood is – if they’re fit – a lot of them will be there (in Qatar). That’s part of our planning.” He clarified that this doesn’t alter their January plans as it wasn’t a surprise and had been discussed since summer.
In terms of addressing the squad gap, Rodgers is open to exploring the loan market but also emphasises the potential within the club: “Our first look will always be inside. Is there anyone in the academy we feel can step in? You never know, you might have a £15 million or £20 million player in there.”
Regarding the players’ absence, he said, “Is it a big loss for us? Yeah, but it’s always an opportunity for someone else. Everyone is replaceable.” The Celtif manager firmly ruled out the idea of requesting match postponements: “No, we’ll just play the games. I don’t think there’s any need (to request postponements).”
Rodgers’ comments reflect a balanced approach to squad management, acknowledging the challenges while recognising opportunities for other players to step up.
It’s comforting to know we’re not walking into January blind to the notion we’ll be without our star striker, if there was anyone within the academy who Rodgers thinks could srep up, they’d already be in and around the first team.
