Brendan Rodgers has outlined his transfer strategy ahead of the January window, emphasising a focus on quality over quantity and stating that he won’t be pleading with players to join Celtic.

Rodgers’ plan includes reducing the squad size while also adding quality players to the team. This objective is particularly important considering the upcoming Asian Cup, which will see key players like Kyogo, Hatate, Maeda, Yang and Oh representing their respective nations, thereby necessitating reinforcements, particularly in the striking department.

Addressing the challenges of the January transfer window, Rodgers expressed confidence in finding high-quality players without necessarily spending large sums. He cited the example of Virgil Van Dijk, who joined Celtic for a modest fee but was a top-quality signing.

“We always know what we want, the plan when we sat down in the summer we understood where we were at, and of course some players then move on that you maybe don’t expect to. We are also well aware of the Asian Cup coming up, so nothing surprises us with that,” the manager said on Celtic TV. 

“For me it’s about getting players in that are going to improve us and be better than what we have and that’s important. We have a lot of young players that are here to develop and grow but you also need players for the present and that’s what we will look at. Tottenham manager target Brendan Rodgers profiled

“My job is to develop the football team and I want the best team possible on the field, but it will always be within the conditions of the club and every manager will be the same. You strike to get the best possible players available to improve your performance level so hopefully we will be able to do that.

“January is a difficult window, of course there is always quality available, but it’s about whether it’s affordable for us and that is the challenge Previously I have been able to do well in the January window when players have been available, so it’s something that has been ongoing over the past few months looking at the possibility of players we might be able to bring in.

“But I repeat, we have a squad of 32 that we will need to bring down as well as bringing in quality players but I am very comfortable that by the summer the squad, in terms of numbers and quality, will look how I want it to. We have to see if the players that are available for us to bring in will improve the squad we have, so I can’t sit here and give an exact number of how many will go out and how many will come in, but there is always movement.

“Everybody will put quality down to how much you pay, but that is not always the case, Virgil Van Dijk came here for £2m and he was top quality, it’s always a challenge because a lot of players will want to play in a more renowned league. But I think what Celtic offers is really unique in terms of being able to come and play for a fanatical fanbase and to come and develop as a player, to become a winner, live in a great city and there’s been many great players and managers to come here.

“We always work hard but we won’t beg players to come. This is an incredible club to play for and if you are lucky enough to work and play then you will get the sense of that.”

January isn’t the easiest window to shop in, with clubs not keen on selling players halfway through a season. But Celtic have operated in markets in recent years where the season comes to an end before Christmas and have picked up some quality then.