CELTIC goal hero Chris Sutton insists Brendan Rodgers has fired a clear message he is frustrated at the lack of activity in the transfer market as the champions prepare for the new season.
The Hoops have raked in £19.2million for Nicolas Kuhn and Gustaf Lagerbielke while Greg Taylor joined Greek club PAOK at the end of his contract.
The Parkhead hierarchy have spent something in the region of £3.5million in bringing in Japanese double-act Hayato Inamura and Shin Yamada, versatile Swede Benjamin Nygren and young striker Callum Osmand, from Fulham.
Keiran Tierney, after his six-year absence at Arsenal, will make his second debut when St Mirren provide the opposition in the Premiership opener on Flag Day in the east end of Glasgow tomorrow afternoon.
Central defender Jahmai Simpson-Pusey has now agreed a season-long loan from Manchester City
PUSH OFF…Cameron Carter-Vickers and Al-Ahli striker Ivan Toney challenge for the ball.
There has been distinct lack of big-name purchases and Sutton reckons the gloves are off with Rodgers spelling out his feelings “in no uncertain terms.”
The one-time England international forward said: “We can talk about fans’ frustration, but Rodgers feels the same way, too – it looks like his patience his starting to wear a little thin at yet another window that hasn’t gone to plan.
“There’s no need to try to work out any hidden messages any more. This was a clear warning – back me properly or I’m off at the end of the season.
“You can’t blame him. He’s the one who will carry the can if things go wrong in Europe or at home.
“And while the contract situation is the elephant in the room, it could be clearer in the next few weeks.
“If Rodgers doesn’t get the backing he wants and needs, it WILL look like the club is treading water rather than matching his ambition.
“He’s cranking up the pressure on the board and it’s now over to them to deliver. It’s all a bit unnecessarily messy, really.”
IN WITH A SHOUT…Brendan Rodgers yells instructions during the Como Cup.
Sutton, speaking to the Daily Record, continued: “It’s understandable Rangers are a work in progress. It’s unfathomable Celtic are in the same boat.
“You get the feeling the supporters could really turn at any moment and Rodgers has now put the ball firmly in the board’s court.
“Look, there’s every chance Celtic could snap up three or four players in quick fashion like in the past and everyone is left wondering what the fuss was about.
“It’s not happened yet, though, and that’s why Rodgers’ warnings have grown louder. Jahmai Simpson-Pusey arriving is an interesting one.
“He’ll not be coming from Manchester City to sit on the bench, but is he going to support or replace Cameron Carter-Vickers?
“By the sounds of it, Carter-Vickers is going to need a good few weeks to get up to speed after surgery in the summer, so it’s perhaps a smart move. It’s also a long season and you’d imagine Simpson-Pusey will get plenty of game time.”
The former Hoops goal hero added: “We all know the issues are further up the pitch – and they’ll need to get it right.
“Last season may have ended up a procession for Celtic, but it’s anything but a formality this time around.
“I know from experience it doesn’t take much to tip the scales in Scotland and that’s why Celtic need to be wary.”
