Brendan Rodgers has spoken about Celtic’s quiet summer in the transfer market ahead of next Wednesday’s Champions League play-off first leg against Kairat Almaty at Celtic Park, with the second leg to follow the Tuesday after.
The Irishman comments showed he’s staying calm as the transfer window moves into its final weeks.
When asked if he was frustrated by the lack of new signings, Rodgers kept a level head. He pointed out that Celtic have often done their transfer business later in the window and admitted every manager wants new players in early to help with pre-season plans.
Rodgers also made it clear that, whether signings come or not, the players already at the club have made a strong start. While most of the talk has been about transfers, the team has quietly put together two good wins and solid performances.
Instead of getting drawn into the ongoing noise around potential signings, Rodgers is keeping his focus on the squad he’s working with now. He believes things are moving in the background and is hopeful Celtic will come out of the window in a good place.
He said: (Celtic FC YouTube), “I’m philosophical about it. I think that the club has always notoriously done business towards the end of the window. And I’ve said it before, I think that all managers and coaches want the players in as soon as we can because preseason is for preparation and you want to be as prepared as you possibly can be.
“With the players we get in or not, what I know is that the players that are here have, you know, what has gone unnoticed a little bit is that we’ve made a really good start. You know, we’ve had two really good wins, played well. I know we’ll get better.
“But I can’t knock the the performance over the two games to get the results. And sometimes that has been clouded a wee bit in all this sort of negativity around the transfers.
“So I’m really just trying to focus on the guys that are here. There’s lots of stuff going on in the background and then hopefully we can come out of the the end of the market in a in a good place.”
Rodgers comes across calm and confident. He’s aware of all the talk around transfers, but he’s not letting it take away from how well the team has started the season. His focus is on performances and results, not rumours or speculation.
He mentioned again that Celtic often do their transfer business late in the window. It’s nothing new, but it’s a reminder that waiting can still lead to the right signings. Rodgers clearly believes there’s still time to add to the squad if needed.
Sporting CP’s Viktor Gyokeres in action with Manchester City’s Jahmai Simpson-Pusey REUTERS/Pedro Nunes
Highlighting the two wins so far, he showed that belief in the current group is strong. The players have delivered without any big-name signings, and that momentum could be important going into these key European games.
Celtic supporters will see a manager backing his squad. Rodgers is putting his trust in the players already here, but he’s also left room for others to join before next week’s first leg.
