Brendan firing a timely warning ahead of summer window | OneFootball

Brendan firing a timely warning. He was backed last summer, let’s hope he is again this window, he deserves it.…

Celtic Manager Brendan Rodgers St Johnstone v Celtic, Scottish Premiership, McDiarmid Park, Perth, 06 April 2025. Stuart Wallace . Photo IMAGO/Shutterstock

Brendan Rodgers yesterday fired what was construed by many to be a warning shot at the Celtic hierarchy.

Brendan spoke at length about there needing to be a change and a freshness in the squad to guard against any complacency if he wants his ambitions to be fulfilled. He even seemed to hinting that if those demands weren’t met he could indeed be the one to step down from his position.

He has a very valid point and whilst I don’t think he’s in any way thinking of leaving before the end of his contract, he is deadly serious about wanting his demands fulfilled in terms of improving the playing squad.

To the clubs credit they did back him heavily in the summer to the tune of £32 million although that was mainly influenced by the huge fee recouped for Matt O’Riley, as he was allowed to splash out big on Arne Engels, Adam Idah, Austin Trusty, and Paulo Bernardo, with Luke McCowan, and Viljami Sinisalo arriving for relatively lower fees.

Celtic goalkeeper Viljami Sinisalo after Daniels Balodis of St Johnstone scored to give St Johnstone a 1-0 lead. St Johnstone v Celtic, Scottish Premiership, , McDiarmid Park, Perth, 06 April 2025: Photo Stuart Wallace/IMAGO Shutterstock

The January window was more low key although we did acquire the signing of former star player Kieran Tierney on a pre contract, and another in Jota for £8 million, although again the signing of the Portuguese was only made possible due to the sale of Kyogo to Rennes.

We might well need to sell big again in the summer such is the financial fair play model put in place by UEFA, but one things for sure is that Brendan needs backed big time in his aim to keep us successful and further improve us in Europe. I’ve got a feeling he will get what he needs when the window opens in the summer, nothing less will be acceptable.

Celtic Manager Brendan Rodgers applauds the Celtic fans at full-time. Final score St Johnstone 1 Celtic 0. St Johnstone v Celtic, Scottish Premiership, McDiarmid Park, Perth, – 06 April 2025 Photo Stuart Wallace IMAGO/Shutterstock

Rodgers who will embark on the third year of his three-year contract next season said: “The club and the board have been great, you look at how we’ve improved in the summer, improved the squad, we will look to do that again in the summer, we can’t afford to be complacent, we always want to progress, we can’t afford to be content.

“My ambition and the club’s ambition will be to always improve and be better, whether it’s facilities, whether it’s on the field and we’ll look to do that again in the summer.

“I think it’s all about improvement. I think naturally what you have at our club, and you guys will have seen it, reporting on the club over many years, there is a natural slide of players that move out and come in every three or four years.

“So, I think naturally that will happen. It’s the nature of our model here, but it’s also the nature of players being here and maybe either hoping to move on or wanting to come away from the pressure that’s here because three or four years of it, it’s a lot of pressure.

Celtic Manager Brendan Rodgers St Johnstone v Celtic, Scottish Premiership, McDiarmid Park, Perth, 06 April 2025. Photo Stuart Wallace/IMAGO Shutterstock

“I just think it’s a natural progression for here but we always have to be ready to replace any players that go and the most important thing for us is improvement.

“We always want to improve the team, improve the hunger in the team, that’s always key because one of the ways to succeed and guard against what I’ve been talking about, is you need the freshness. It’s either that or the manager goes.

“It’s as simple as that. There’s no rocket science in it. You cannot be at a club for a long period of time with the same group of players.

“Likewise, the same group of players need a different voice but at this moment, it will be about improving the squad. I think change is needed. I think that’s the point. I think that freshness and that new energy coming into your squad alleviates any of that

“We will bring players in to challenge the squad and the team for the summer. That’s natural for any team.

“However this team does at the end of the season, come the end, we want to improve it. because you can’t just sit on that as the team needs the competition. So, either way, we will look to improve the squad.”

Just an Ordinary Bhoy