BRENDAN RODGERS insists he is not fixated on the need for Celtic to splash “£10million, £15million or whatever” as he prepares to strengthen his squad for the new season.
In the midst of calls for the champions to get cracking in this transfer window, the Hoops gaffer said: “I just need quality players.”
Rodgers, preparing for tonight’s match against Ajax in Como, is adamant he is charge of ALL signings, whether they are for today or tomorrow.
Rodgers said: “It’s pretty straightforward. There will be players within our recruitment team who are not just for now but for the future.
“Clearly, I will look at those players and assess and see if those players can come in and play. Then there will be other players we specifically need. It’s still very much joined up.
“I suppose it’s more around whether the players are for now or later. People know the model over a number of years. There are players who come in who are maybe not expected to hit the ground running, but some of them do.
“That’s what I need to assess, those guys coming in. But I also need to win now and we need to get those players in. Either way, I will be responsible for that.
“Club signings, with the greatest respect, I don’t care where they come from, I just need good players in the building who can help us win today, tomorrow and next week.
“I’ve always developed players in my career, so I respect that side of it, but also the need for the present.”
CASHING IN…£17million worth of talent Arne Engels and Auston Trusty join captain Callum McGregor and celebrating team-mates after Celtic sealed the title with a 5-0 win at Tannadice on April 26.
Rodgers twice broke Celtic’s transfer record he had previously set with the £9million purchase of Odsonne Edouard from Paris Saint-Germain in the summer of 2018.
The French frontman had impressed during his season-long loan to prompt the Hoops boss to make the switch permanent. The prolific and flamboyant forward proved to be money well spent.
Likewise, Adam Idah showed up well during his short-term temporary move from Norwich City last season and claimed nine goals, including, of course, the Scottish Cup Final winner against Philippe Clement’s Ibrox side at Hampden on the iconic date of May 25.
That strike practically sealed the Republic of Ireland’s five-year deal that rose to £9.5million after add-ons.
However, that was broken just a couple of weeks later when the club paid £11million to Bundesliga club Augsburg for stylish Belgian playmaker Arne Engels.
On top of that, USA international centre-back Auston Trusty arrived on deadline day in a £6million switch from Championship side Sheffield United.
HEAVEN IN GOVAN…Adam Idah races away in delight after hitting Celtic’s equaliser in the 1-1 draw at Ibrox on May 4 on the way to a fourth successive crown.
That’s a financial outlay of £26.5million for three players which emphasised the ambition of all at the champions, the manager Rodgers, chairman Peter Lawwell, chief executive Michael Nicholson and the directors.
The club have raked in £19.2million on the sale of two players – Nicolas Kuhn to Como and Gustaf Lagerbielke to Sporting Braga – and have yet to spend big in bring in six players, including returning hero Kieran Tierney on a free from Arsenal, Swedish winger Benjamin Nygren and goalkeeper Ross Doohan plus Inamura, Yamada and Osmand.
Reflecting on last year’s transactions, Rodgers, speaking to the Daily Record, continued: “There was a bit of focus around the players who came in and question marks around what they brought.
“For one, they didn’t set the price. But, two, Celtic did as well as they’ve done for a decade and those guys really helped us.
“Trusty was outstanding in the Champions League. Engels, his running power, was really helpful for us, he’s a young player who will get better.
SWEDE DREAMS…new Bhoy Benjamin Nygren gets some instructions from Celtic boss Brendan Rodgers.
“Idah scored over 20 goals and still has improvements to make. It depends on perspective. I felt we needed physicality and power for the Champions League and that really helped us.
“Those players have still more to develop.”
The Irishman added: “Whether a player costs £250,000 or £12million, I’m not really concerned.
“I’ve seen and worked with players who have cost more, but others who have cost less and are much better players.
“I’m not really fixated on, ‘I need £10m, £15m or whatever’ – I just need quality players.
“There is a lot of hard work going on behind the scenes in terms of players.
“Of course, you look at our squad and you can see where there are needs for improvement. It’s pretty clear. The market is difficult in terms of timings and everything else.
“On the same token, we are only 11 days away from the new season and we want to get players in as quickly as we can.”
