Interesting listening to Brendan Rodgers yesterday talk about how the squad is too big. There are 32 in first team squad (excluding those out on loan), and he said ideally he would have a 25 man squad.
He also said rather pointedly said that we do not need any more ‘development’ players, we need first team ready players.
READ THIS…“There will be more out than coming in,” Rodgers set to re-shape Celtic squad
When you look at the squad there are obvious players that we should be either moving on permanently or moving out on loan. The problem is will they go and if they are willing to go will anyone want them?
I would doubt if we could move anyone deemed surplus to requirement on for any significant money. Most would probably be loans out.
Of the 10 players out on loan Ideguchi and Kenny return in January so that’s another two to be moved back out in January.
Given Brendan will want two or three new players in January that could be as many as 10 or 11 players to ship out. Impossible? Nicholson and Lawwell will need to get a significant number out of the door.
The likely names are as follows:
No contribution this season – Siegrist, Kobayashi, McCarthy, Kwon, Tilio
Little contribution this season – Bernabei, M. Johnston
Return to parent club – Philips
Out of contract in the summer – Turnbull
Returning loanees – Ideguchi, Kenny
That would reduce the first team squad to 23, freeing up a couple of spaces for new signings, a keeper and a left back the obvious positions that would require strengthened immediately.
The summer window was a bit of a disaster, at least that’s how its panned out to date, time for the recruitment team to get their act together and get the players the manager wants and get rid of those who are not in his plans.
Gary67 – Well Known Member on Celtic Noise
I think due to the “robustness” of our domestic football that an extra defender, midfielder and forward is not a bad idea so maybe as high as 28 players would be ideal. I doubt that we’ll get rid of Tilio yet as we knew he was injured when we bought him and that is him just getting back now.
I guess Brendan is stating what many of us fans have been saying since the summer and this is what we thought our transfer strategy was going to be instead of returning to snapping up lots of young foreign projects. Yes, we can still do this but it really has to be augmented by buying several first team ready players to replace the ones we sell off every year (often for profit).
Bridie Bhoy – Well Known Member on Celtic Noise
Tilio should go out on loan, get fit, get used to football in this country and get ready to return in the summer. Reports are he’s struggling with the intensity of our training. Welsh arguably should do also go out on loan to get fit, keep Philips until end of the season.
Gary67 – Well Known Member on Celtic Noise
Interesting comments from Brendan coming after his decision not to make changes at the weekend but instead go with the tried and tested starters.
Since Ange’s arrival we have been full stream ahead on signings, boosted by the success that the early arrivals brought to the club – and credit is due to whoever it was who selected those players. The first two windows were hugely significant but the impact hasn’t been the same since and we’ve ended up with a huge squad at Lennoxtown, loads of players already out on loan and a blocked pathway for Celtic Academy players, who are likely to get discouraged.
The team that started against Atletico was:
FIRST ELEVEN: Hart, Johnston, CCV, Scales, Taylor; McGregor, O’Riley, Hatate (replaced early on by Bernardo); Palma, Kyogo and Maeda.
Looking at the squad and picking the best available second eleven it would look something like this when you add Reo to the long term injury list…
SECOND ELEVEN: Bain, Ralston, Lagerbielke, Nawrocki, Bernabei; Iwata, Turnbull, Holm; Forrest, Oh and Mikey Johnston
Not selected for either side – Siegrist, Phillips, Kobayashi, Welsh, Kyon, Yang and Tilio.
Out injured – Abada and now Hatate
Out of the picture – McCarthy
So if we accept that the first eleven is strong and was able to go toe-to-toe with Atletico and were probably better than Lazio then consider one at a time if each player is injured (or sold) then look at the replacement in the second side.
That tells me we need a goalkeeper, one maybe two full backs, maybe a winger (even though we have loads) and definitely a striker.
Siegrist is running down his deal then will be off, Phillips will go back to Liverpool at the end of the year, Koyayashi will go out on loan, Welsh signed a new deal then was injured on the same day and he’s now way down the pecking order so will need to go out on loan, Kyon doesn’t looks like it’s going to happen and should be offloaded. Yang and Tilio the jury remains out, btw signing injured players is madness.
We have TEN players out on loan, none of whom can expect to play for Celtic again as things stand.
The Celtic B team meanwhile is roadblocked in the low quality lowland league and has being losing to English sides and in their Champions League matches.
🚨🇮🇪 𝐋𝐨𝐚𝐧 𝐖𝐚𝐭𝐜𝐡
Johnny Kenny was not in the squad for Shamrock Rovers’ penultimate league game of the season last night against Cork City.
After their match versus Sligo this Friday, Kenny is set to return to Celtic as his loan spell in his homeland comes to an end. pic.twitter.com/lcwYXlbtI3
— Celtic Youth & Loan Updates (@CelticYLUpdates) October 31, 2023
Brendan wants a squad of 25, with three goalkeepers. He reckons that is going to take two windows to get there. The combined wages of these players who aren’t going to contribute could be better spent on fewer, first team ready players. That has to be the priority and the Celtic strategy needs to change to allow this to happen.
Not everyone in the Celtic boardroom is likely to agree with that assessment.
Winning Captains – Administrator on Celtic Noise.
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You keep harping on about the need for a goalkeeper and a left back as priority, why.
What we need is a striker and a powerful midfielder who won’t look out out of place in the CL games. By the way Scales was signed primarily as a left back, not a bad option.
Definitely need a third striker as THE top priority. We also need a left back and a goalkeeper to compete with Joe Hart, the two we have at the moment are nowhere near his level. Scales is a central defender, at left back not good enough for Celtic, great as a left sided defender especially playing alongside CCV.
Would prefer if Rodgers got off his pity pot and concentrated moreso upon the job he’s getting paid to do.
Walked away last time, with not getting backed in the transfer market, now moaning about the squad numbers he’s actually got?
Is there any pleasing him what’s so ever, when it comes to transfers?
It is his decision to set up the team in a 4231 formation.
Has worked reasonably well against team’s who have been prepared to press and attack ourselves.
Yet against the low block and back to the walls team’s, it’s already cost us 4 points in the league, and out of a cup competition, with not being able to find a goal?
And hardly looked like finding one either in those 3 games either imo.
So is this 4231 formation the best available for ourselves, against the anti football teams?
I don’t believe so, especially when we have so much possession during these games.
Could we go with a 3142 for such games?
Still have the best part of a squad to do so already in place.
Squads are formed, usually on a 2 player for each position within a formation of play.
We still haven’t got that set up as such.
Only need to look at the CL squad to confirm that.
Scales was only kept as a back up for the LB position, yet the injury crisis at CB forced Rodgers into the unforseen benifit of having him at CB, yet still hasn’t been used as a LCB, which I believe would be his best position for ourselves, and allow for more and better options higher up the pitch also.
So reduce squad numbers?
Fair enough, but where does the 8 homegrown players required for European football, fit into his grand scale of thinking?
Still needs to get his own act together in certain games with his own decision making, than running to the media and whining, I would still say.
I will continue to give Rodgers praise for doing well, but will call him out upon bullshit when he makes the mistakes he’s also guilty of creating also