BBC pundit Michael Stewart has voiced his confusion over one particular aspect of Brendan Rodgers’s transfer strategy at Celtic.
The club has welcomed six new signings with a seventh in Luis Palma reportedly on the way, but questions have been raised regarding the quality of these additions, especially in the wake of disappointing results against Kilmarnock and St Johnstone and poor performances against Ross County and Aberdeen.
Stewart highlighted a specific comment from Rodgers about bolstering the squad before strengthening the starting eleven. “Surely that’s what you do first of all? You look to strengthen your starting eleven because those games are imminent, and you need to get this starting eleven up and running, and then you can look to bolster your squad,” Stewart said on BBC Sportsound.
The pundit pointed out that Rodgers’s approach seemed counterintuitive. While Rodgers himself acknowledged the need to improve the starting lineup, Stewart questioned why the focus wasn’t initially there. Stewart does agree that Rodgers’s recent comments are a fair reflection of how the transfer activities have transpired, but he suggests that ideally, the approach would be the other way around—first improving the starting eleven and then filling out the squad.
It’s now a big five days for Celtic, as they look to get some first team signings over the line, especially with Ibrox to visit on Sunday.
