BRENDAN Rodgers tonight stated he has not been made aware of any interest in Celtic centre-half Cameron Carter Vickers despite German champions Bayer Leverkusen being linked with a move for the United States internationalist.
Rodgers admitted that he would not be surprised if there were bids tabled for his players next month following a 4-0 win over St Johnstone at home which increased the Parkhead club’s lead over Rangers at the top of the William Hill Premiership to 14 points.
However, the Northern Irishman stressed that he is keen to strengthen his squad even further during the January transfer window and improve their chances of landing more domestic silverware and enjoying further European success in 2025.
Asked if he would try to increase the options available to him in the coming weeks, he said: “We hope so. I think I always like to add goals to my teams in January where I can, to add that threat and that freshness to the squad.
“We were able to do that last January with Nicolas [Kuhn] and Adam [Idah], which was great for us. We'll look to do the same.
“If I look at it now, 12 months on to where we were this time last year, we are in a really, really good place. However, we want to keep improving. So, we hope to be able to do that.”
Asked about stories linking Bundesliga outfit Leverkusen with Carter-Vickers, Rodgers said: “Listen, I haven't seen anything of that, to be honest. I suspect there will be interest in all our players and lots of gossip and speculation going about. But no, I think our idea is to improve our squad.”
Celtic are on the cusp of qualifying for the Champions League knockout round play-offs and can complete a ninth domestic treble if they land the Premiership and Scottish Cup in the second half of the 2024/25 campaign.
But asked if he could categorically state that none of his players are for sale in January, Rodgers said: “To be honest, I don't need to say anything. I just relax and work with the players and we want to improve the squad and whatever happens, happens.
“So, I'm not committing to anything. My focus is just on developing the players we have, improving the squad and at the moment that's going well.”
Meanwhile, Rodgers has predicted that 2024 will go down in the history books as an annus mirabilis for Celtic after rounding off a remarkable 12 months for the Parkhead club with another victory.
Callum McGregor and his team mates only lost twice in 50 games – they were beaten by Hearts at Tynecastle in the Premiership in March and by Borussia Dortmund in Germany in October.
Rodgers said: “I'm just so pleased with what 2024 has brought us in performance and statistics. This will be one of those seasons that will be historic in terms of what we've achieved statistically over this season. That makes me really proud.
“I thought last season was one of the best coaching seasons of my career in terms of coming in and what I was coming into. This season has just been a joy to work with the players and seeing them evolve and develop and how I want them to work.
“I've seen some statistics yesterday that people were trying to show me. From that aspect, it's mentally impressive. But we've still got to sustain it and we still want to keep working and play to the level that we want to on a consistent basis.
“I think ultimately it's always about performing. I feel that when we perform well, we can win a lot of games and I think over this year, we see that. Having lost only two games, when you think of it in every competition, it's a huge testament to the work by everyone.
“The players, ultimately, out on the field, never always have it their own way, but it’s about us finding a way, which I always think is important, and being an adaptable team. Then the staff behind it all, doing a lot of amazing work to make sure that this club stays focused and is evolving and progressing.
“In the table we're at the halfway point after Thursday's game. I'll have a look at it, but ultimately, it's now about preparing and going to Ibrox to play how we want to play.”
