After yet another season of domination in the top flight, Celtic are still no closer to making a mark in Europe. They were drawn in a tough group last season and Brendan Rodgers, the manager at Celtic Park, now seems determined to make sure that his side is equipped well enough to get out of such tight groups as well next season.
They are the biggest club in Scotland and can attract any of the country’s star players but the gap in quality between the Premiership and other top flights in Europe is often visible to the naked eye.
So it is imperative for the Scottish giants to add some established stars from around Europe if they are to compete with the best teams in the continent. However, a recent interview with Brendan Rodgers has given the fans a glimpse of the issues that the club faces at the moment.
Having won the treble last season, Celtic needed to make sure that they do not lose their star players to other clubs, retaining the core of the side that brushed teams aside domestically. They have managed to tie down Odsonne Edouard to the club in a record deal and have also done well to resist offers for Kieran Tierney. Moussa Dembele seems to be happy at the club so it should not be too hard for the Celts to continue their domestic domination.
Their biggest rivals, Rangers, are also making some smart moves in the transfer market. So to make sure that his side can improve from the previous season, Rodgers needs to spend big this summer. However, that might not be an option for him, as he revealed in his recent interview.
He said, “I’m not sure. The problem is that if you are going to bring in a top, top centre-half then that is going to cost you money. It is as simple as that. And big money. That is out of my control. We can’t do it. The club works in a specific way.
“You don’t need to be a rocket scientist to know that if you are going to improve drastically from where this group is at and where it has got to over the last couple of years and make the improvements that people want to make, it costs money. But that is out of my control,” he added.
There are very few stars up for grabs this summer, that come under Celtic’s transfer budget and they have no real need to add depth to their side. So the only way Celtic are taking the next step is by splashing the cash in the transfer market.
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The club surely has high ambitions of making a mark in Europe and could still give it a shot next season with a similar squad. But for challenging the best in the game, the club need to loosen their purse strings and get the big bucks out. Else, they might have to fight for the league title with their arch-rivals Rangers next season itself.
