Brendan Rodgers says Celtic ‘have to put right’ their recruitment strategy

Brendan Rodgers insists Celtic’s recruitment strategy has to improve as he looks to strengthen the squad in the final week of the transfer window.

Before Sunday’s 3-0 William Hill Premiership win at St Mirren, the Hoops boss revealed that he expects midfielder Matt O’Riley to complete his move to Brighton in the coming days in a transfer reportedly worth at least £25million to the Parkhead club.

After the convincing victory, and ahead of the transfer window closing next Friday, Rodgers was asked about recruitment at the cash-rich Scottish champions, who have signed goalkeepers Kasper Schmeichel and Viljami Sinisalo this summer while striker Adam Idah and midfielder Paulo Bernardo have returned following loan spells.

Rodgers, who hopes at least some of the O’Riley transfer fee will be used to strengthen the squad, believes the Celtic board owes it to the supporters to build on current success.

He said: “There are a number of things I won’t go into here. But it’s 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.

“It’s a very important week for us. In terms of the context of next week [Rangers game], we’re in a really, really good place. But over the context of the season, it’s really important for us.

“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.

“The supporters pay the money. I look back to the Covid times, the Celtic supporters sold the stadium out with season tickets 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.

“If we can do it by Friday, strengthen the squad, we’ll be in a really, really good place. But we want to strengthen and have that depth.

“It’s taken a lot longer than I would have liked as the football manager. 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.”

O’Riley joined Celtic from MK Dons in January 2022 for a reported fee of £1.5m and Rodgers said: “As a coach who’s coached many players, he did everything he can to be the best player that he can be.

“And 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.

“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 the pressure, and you become a winner, he can go on and play for most teams in the world now.

“His behaviour was second to none. He’s a good guy and I hope he does well.”

Buddies boss Stephen Robinson had no complaints about the result, which saw goals from Reo Hatate and Alistair Johnston add to Callum McGregor’s third-minute opener for Celtic.

He said: “We made it very difficult from the third minute so credit to Celtic.

“What people forget about really good teams is they do the simple things really well.

“They done the simple things really well throughout the game as well as their quality.

“We didn’t match that and if you don’t put the best version of yourself out you are going to lose against Celtic and we were nowhere near our best version today.”