BRENDAN Rodgers today expressed hope that Celtic will free up some of the record £26m fee they will receive from Brighton for Matt O’Riley to buy new players during the final week of the transfer window – and repay the fans for their financial backing during the Covid pandemic.
Rodgers saw his side record a comfortable 3-0 win over St Mirren at the SMiSA Stadium in Paisley this afternoon in their first game without O’Riley – who was down in England undergoing a medical - and return to the top of the William Hill Premiership table.
The Northern Irishman, whose team will take on their city rivals Rangers at home in the league on Sunday, hailed the Danish playmaker for his contribution to the Scottish champions’ cause and wished him well for the future.
However, he also stressed that Celtic should not be going into the final week of summer window needing to strengthen their squad and admitted that he is optimistic the Parkhead board will sanction more signings before it closes on Friday night.
“I think it's a very important week for us,” he said. “In terms of the context of next week [Rangers], we're in a really, really good place. But over the context of the season, it's really important for us.
“As a football club, we want to develop, we want to improve. We can't be happy just to make our money and build our pot because the bottom line is on the pitch. That's the bottom line. I just hope we can at least get some of it [the O’Riley money].
“The supporters, they pay the money. I look back to the Covid times here, the Celtic supporters sold the stadium out and they weren't allowed in it. So we have the duty to put the best team on the pitch.
“That's what we'll do and look to do. It's taken a bit longer than I would have liked. But if we can do it by Friday, strengthen the squad, we'll be in a really, really good place. The team is in a good place, mentally, tactically, how they're playing. But we want to strengthen and have that depth.”
Celtic, who revealed back in February that they have £67m in the bank when they released their half-yearly financial results, have signed four new recruits so far this summer, Paulo Bernardo, Adam Idah, Kasper Schmeichel and Viljami Sinisalo, at a cost of over £12m.
However, Rodgers, who will find out who his men will face in the revamped Champions League this season when the draw is made in Monaco on Thursday, confessed that he had wanted to get more players in earlier.
“It's taken a lot longer than I would have liked as the football manager,” he said. “That's my brutally honest answer on it. But I will repeat this. If we get them in, then there's still a long season ahead. So it's important that we do get that. And I have belief that we will do.
“There are a number of things I won't go into here. But it [not signing players early enough] is definitely something, having come back in and gone through three windows now, we have to put right as a football club. We shouldn't have been getting into this last week in the position we're in.
“That's the reality. However, that's something for us for after this window. As I said, we'll get the players in that we want. We don't need to manufacture our own stress when there's no need. We don't need to do that. So we'll be calm this week. We'll look to get the players in that can strengthen us.”
Rodgers heaped praise on O’Riley and predicted the midfielder is now capable of playing for any club on the planet after two-and-a-half seasns at Celtic.
“He did everything he can to be the best player that he can be,” he said. “His behaviour, his decency all the way through pre-season was absolutely a joy to see. From a young player who's got the riches of the Premier League in sight, he never lost his focus for Celtic.
“Even right up to the very last day. We'd finished, we had a lighter session on his last day, but he stayed out to do that extra little bit with the coaches. He has just been an absolute joy to work with.
“And when you work with a player like that, you want them to succeed. Celtic won't be the end game for some of these players, but it's going to give them so much. And he leaves here now a winner, a better footballer and ready to play for any team in the world.
“When you play for Celtic, and have the pressure, and you become a winner. He can go on and play for most teams in the world now. He’s a good guy and I hope he does well. And we continue, because that's an opportunity now for some other players to come into here and take that on.”
