Brendan Rodgers insists Celtic’s transfer plans for January will be unaltered despite potentially losing several key players to the Asia Cup.
The delayed tournament, hosted by Qatar, will take place from January 12 until February 10 next year.
It is expected that Kyogo, Daizen Maeda, Reo Hatate and Oh Hyeon-gyu will all be involved for their respective countries; Japan and South Korea. Others of course could be included too. Both Maeda and Hatate are currently injured, however, should return to fitness by the time squad selections are made for the competition.
Rodgers is calm about the predicament, pointing out that it’s something the club has been aware of for a while. It’s no secret the manager is looking to add another striker to his squad. And the 50-year-old insists that frontman could well lie in the club’s academy.
Asked how much thought has been paid to the Asia Cup, he replied: “A lot of thought. The likelihood is those guys - if they’re fit - a lot of them will be there. That’s part of our planning. The thing for us is it’s not a surprise, we knew it was there and we spoke about it in the summer leading into this window. We have that in hand and we know what our ideas are for that.
“Our first look is always from inside. Is there anyone in the academy base we feel can step in and have a chance to play? The first look is never outside, it has to be from within. You never know you might have a £15m or £20m player in your academy. We assess that, speak to the academy coaches and we observe them a lot anyway.
“Then if it’s the case where it’s not inside then of course we have to look outside. It’s then about strategy so you can either bring one in, buy one, or you can look at a loan market. It’s always about availability and what you can afford as well.
“Everyone is replaceable so of course you want to have the squad and them all there but we’ve known all along they won’t be so we’re prepared. It’s something you have to plan forward for and it was one of the first things we spoke about coming in here. It’s not all about the present, it’s about looking forward to each window.”
