Brendan Rodgers is proactively planning for the future of Celtic’s midfield, recognising the need to strengthen regardless of whether star midfielder Matt O’Riley remains with the club.
Amidst the swirling transfer rumours surrounding O’Riley, with Brighton having shown significant interest and Atalanta dropping out after pursuing other targets, Rodgers is not sitting idle.
And with Reo Hatate now attracting interest, Rodgers’ transfer plans could be forced to change.
Rodgers said he’s pleased with Matt O’Riley but is keen to add some players to the middle of the pitch. As quoted by Football Scotland, he said “I haven’t heard anything different than last week so there’s nothing new to add. His mentality is phenomenal.
“He’s a player that’s continued to grow and you see the confidence that he’s playing the game with. I still think we need another player in that position. If he was to go, we’d need two more.”
Celtic have been linked to many midfielders over the past few weeks, but as things stand, the most likely of the targets would probably be Luke McCowan. He’d come in for relatively cheap, and be a good squad player.
As things stand, Celtic won’t be signing someone to step into the midfield three. But if O’Riley or Hatate go, then the money will need to be spent on a quality replacement. Only time will tell what will happen with the midfield duo.
