Brendan Rodgers has been tipped to make a significant impact in the Champions League, given the club’s expected £30 million transfer budget for the upcoming season.
Former Liverpool and Ibrox player Charlie Adam has expressed confidence in Rodgers’ ability to utilise the substantial budget provided by the Celtic board effectively.
Rodgers has made it clear that he intends to use these funds to ensure Celtic’s competitiveness in Europe’s premier football competition.
Despite the challenges posed by Europe’s elite teams, Adam suggests that Rodgers could follow the recruitment strategy employed by his predecessor, Ange Postecoglou. Postecoglou successfully tapped into the Japanese market, securing top players like Kyogo Furuhashi and Reo Hatate at reasonable costs.
Rodgers, now tasked with similar responsibilities, is expected to identify and secure promising talent while also potentially adding experienced players to the squad. Adam believes that with smart use of the available funds, Celtic could confidently compete on the European stage.
In a discussion with Football Scotland, Adam elaborated;
“If you’re smart in the windows and with sales you can be (competitive in the UCL) because you look at what Ange did with the Japanese lads coming in and different signings. He was clever in that market and it didn’t cost him crazy money and Brendan will have to do the same.
“Not everyone has hundreds of millions but £30million for Celtic is a big pot to splash on players.”
Adam also highlighted the importance of improving Celtic’s performance in Europe:
“They’re giving him a chance to enhance what they’ve done and what they can build on so, yeah, that’s what you do when you’re at big clubs, you want to try and improve. Domestically they know they’re gonna win titles and trophies but the European side is one they feel they’ll have to improve on.”
Despite Rodgers’ controversial departure from Celtic in 2019, Adam is confident that the Celtic fans will welcome his return, especially if he starts delivering wins.
“It’s a good move for both
“Celtic needed Brendan and Brendan needed Celtic in terms of what’s happened in the last four or five months at Leicester. He’s probably had opportunities to stay in the Premier League but the project and where they finished is probably not the right feel for him at the minute.
“He’s adored by the Celtic support and after a few games you’ll always have a small minority of fans who can’t forget the past, but if he starts winning football matches, they’ll be singing his name.”
