Brendan Rodgers has addressed claims that Celtic were priced out of a move for a striker on transfer deadline day.
With Celtic failing to sign a forward before last night’s 11pm deadline, it meant the Hoops came out of the winter transfer window a striker down, having lost Kyogo Furuhashi to Rennes in Ligue 1 for £10 million.
This has left the squad short of attacking options as they look to navigate the rest of the season with the chance to progress further in the Champions League and secure a domestic treble.
The absence of Kyogo will be one that is felt, as his ability to score goals when it mattered most in big games and the way he led the Hoops’ press from the front is something that can’t be replicated immediately.
When asked ‘Did you find you were getting charged a premium, for trying to bring players in during the January transfer window?’
Rodgers said: (Celtic FC YouTube), “No, no, no, I didn’t think that. I think that there’s a myth around you can’t get good players in January, which I would totally disagree with.
“I think you can. In virtually all my career, I’ve got really good players—some world-class players in the January window.
“But it’s sometimes about the availability, it’s sometimes about the affordability. And then there is a little bit of a premium in January, of course, in this period where you may have to pay a little bit more, but that’s natural.
“But I didn’t think there was anything too outward to what would hurt us as a club.
It’s clear from the Irishman that the fees Celtic would have had to pay for a striker in January weren’t anything ridiculous. While some feared that teams would look to take advantage of the Hoops in the winter transfer window, especially after they had recently banked £10 million for Kyogo, it appears that wasn’t the case.
Instead, it seems more to do with poor planning for the Japanese forward’s exit, which Celtic knew was coming for months in advance.
The lack of a Kyogo replacement highlights a failure to push on from a position of strength, with the Premier Sports Cup already secured, 10 points clear at the top of the Scottish Premiership with a game in hand, and the opportunity to progress in the Champions League and retain the Scottish Cup.
Supporters are frustrated at yet another underwhelming transfer window at Celtic, feeling that more could have been done to strengthen the squad and ensure that the team is properly equipped for the second half of the season.
