Celtic transfer window ‘not ideal’ concedes Rodgers

Manager Brendan Rodgers admits the January transfer window “wasn’t ideal” for Celtic but is not apportioning blame ahead of a club review.

The Scottish Premiership leaders signed Jeffrey Schlupp from Crystal Palace on deadline day and brought winger Jota back from Rennes, with forward Kyogo Furuhashi moving in the opposite direction.

“I said it myself, we wanted another striker, so we’re not hiding behind anything,” said Rodgers.

“And absolutely, the supporters will look and see that a top striker has gone out, a legendary striker.

“So I understand that. But all I can do is affect what we have now and look to teach and work very hard and finish off what has been, until now, a great season for us.”

Adam Idah has responded to the void left by Kyogo’s departure with three goals in two games, having gone without scoring since late November.

Johnny Kenny, 21, has returned from a loan spell with Shamrock Rovers, while Daizen Maeda can also play through the middle, although he is suspended for the first leg of the Champions League play-off against Bayern Munich next week.

“I don’t want to pin blame on anyone here,” added Rodgers. “I think as a collective, it wasn’t ideal how it ended for us. We have to, as a club now, go away and look at that, like we do in every window.

“I’m not going to become frustrated and kill my joy of working here by thinking what could have been.”