Brendan Rodgers acknowledges the disappointment of Celtic fans after failing to sign a striker during the January transfer window. While admitting the squad is looking light without a replacement for Kyogo, Rodgers emphasizes focusing on the current players and finishing the season strong.
Brendan Rodgers insists he understands Celtic fans’ frustration at missing out on a striker in the January transfer window. But the Hoops boss isn’t going to point any fingers of blame as his focus is on getting the best out of his squad for the remainder of the season.
Rodgers managed to snap up full back Jeffrey Schlupp on deadline day on the back of Jota’s return and teeing up Kieran Tierney for the summer. Celtic have been left short up front though after failing to land a replacement for Kyogo. Rodgers admitted his squad is looking light having missed out on top targets such as Mathias Kvistgaarden and Kelechi Iheanacho. When asked if understood supporters feeling frustration, he said: “Yes – 100 percent. Listen, I said it myself. We wanted another striker, so we're not hiding behind anything. Absolutely, the supporters will look and see our top striker going out, a legendary striker. “And we haven't replaced him. So I understand that. But all I can do is affect what we have now and look to teach and work, and work very, very hard and finish off what has been, until now, a great season for us. “Could we have done better? Yes, we could. However, as I said, we work with the players that are here now. That is the focus. “I don't really want to be looking back. We've had months to look at that. We've done some good business in the January window. “Like I said, I'm not going to become frustrated now and kill my joy of working here every day at the club by thinking what could have been. We can't affect that now. We can review it and move on.” Rodgers also admitted supporters will see the £10m sale of Kyogo as a major mistake by the club when a ready-made replacement wasn’t nailed down. But he said: “Some people will say that, but you don't have the depth of knowledge that I have on the player and working with him and going back to the summer. It's a fair enough thing to say. "You can very easily say you should really have someone in the door before you let him go, but there was a situation with that player which meant that wasn't the case. And that was something that had been running for a number of months, not just for the few days before he left. I repeat, if a player does not want to be here, then we do the best deal and move on.” Rodgers was thwarted in his attempts to strengthen but he refused to get riled up or deflect any heat on to the Parkhead chiefs or recruitment department. He said: “Listen, I don't want to pin blame on anyone here. I think as a collective, it wasn't ideal how it ended for us. So what we have to do, as a club, is now go away and look at that, like we'll do every window. "I think you look around, of course there wasn't a great deal happening, but certainly all I was concerned about was for Celtic and what I needed to happen here. So we'll look into that and move forward. “There's so many different facets to the transfer and obviously the identification of a player, then convincing the player to come, which in the main is never a problem for here. "But no, we just weren't quite able to get a deal done on that front. It's something that we as a club will go away, we'll review the whole process and then look to be better again in the summer. “We've done some really, really good business in the window. probably one or two things that didn't quite drop for us that we would have liked, but however it ends, you know the squad you have and fundamentally, we're here to develop the players that are here for the rest of the season. “Jota is a fantastic player for us and we can see that even in these early stages, so really excited to work with him. We bring in Jeffrey and I'm delighted to have him here.”
CELTIC BRENDAN RODGERS TRANSFER WINDOW STRIKER KYOGO
United Kingdom Latest News, United Kingdom Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Celtic Boss Rodgers Fumes Over Tierney ChantsBrendan Rodgers, manager of Celtic, criticizes fans for singing Kieran Tierney's name during a match, claiming it shows disrespect towards current left-back Greg Taylor.
Read more »
Celtic Boss Rodgers Takes Issue With FansBrendan Rodgers, manager of Celtic, publicly criticized fans during and after a recent match against St Mirren. He expressed displeasure over groans during the game and a chant dedicated to former player Kieran Tierney, which he perceived as disrespectful to current left back Greg Taylor.
Read more »
Celtic Boss Rodgers Insists Kyogo Furuhashi Is Going NowhereCeltic manager Brendan Rodgers has stated that star striker Kyogo Furuhashi is not going anywhere, despite reported interest from MLS side Atlanta United.
Read more »
Celtic Boss Rodgers Frustrated by 'Soft' Display in Dundee DrawCeltic manager Brendan Rodgers expressed his disappointment with his team's performance after they were held to a 3-3 draw by Dundee. Rodgers criticized his players' defensive lapses and lack of aggression, highlighting their failure to capitalize on their dominant position.
Read more »
Celtic Boss Rodgers Confident of Transfer Activity Despite Europa League CrunchBrendan Rodgers discusses the ongoing transfer activity at Celtic, highlighting the club's efforts to strengthen the squad before the European window closes. He addresses the potential return of Kieran Tierney and the status of Alex Valle while emphasizing the importance of squad depth for both domestic and European competitions.
Read more »
Celtic boss Rodgers insists Valle is still a player at Parkhead amid transfer speculationCeltic manager Brendan Rodgers has affirmed that left-back Alex Valle remains a part of the squad despite reports linking him with a return to parent club Barcelona. Rodgers acknowledged the numerous transfer rumors circulating during the January window but stated Valle is currently focused on the upcoming Scottish Cup tie against Kilmarnock. The Celtic manager also addressed the speculation surrounding Kieran Tierney's potential return to the club on a pre-contract agreement.
Read more »