Former Celtic captain Scott Brown, reckons that his old boss will be definitely looking to bring in another striker this winter transfer window. The man who was the lynchpin of the Hoops for years is now enjoying a break from the game for the first time, after he was let go from English club, Fleetwood Town recently. Now he’s backing his old club to bring in another centre-forward post-Christmas.
Celtic have the prolific Kyogo Furuhashi on the books as well as his back-up, Oh Hyeon-gyu, who is still very raw and young. Questions remain about whether Oh would be able to carry the team and score the required goals that Kyogo brings consistently, should anything happen to the Japanese international. The South Korean did score an important goal against St Mirren before the latest international break and fans will be hoping that gives him that confidence and swagger that’s been missing.
Regardless of whether or not Oh hits the heights when the domestic footballing calendar resumes, the Asian Cup will see both strikers leave for a considerable period of time between January and February 2024. This means that Rodgers will need a new striker to usher the team through the games that both stars will miss through commitments to their respective countries. Brown has suggested this will be the case and that the Irishman won’t want to stop there either.
Broony said, as reported by Football Scotland: “I think Brendan will be looking to sign another striker in January. Kyogo Furuhashi has been on fire this season, but they’re perhaps missing a spark up there with him. I’m sure Brendan will want to strengthen every position if he can, so it all depends on how much money he’s going to get to spend. I’m sure they’ll do it wisely and within their budget.
“Brendan brings a sense of ruthlessness and relentlessness to clubs – you saw when he was here beforehand, we won four Trebles in a row and a lot of that was due to the manager and the players he brought in. You’ve got to give him credit for the players he’s brought in and the amount of money that he’s made Celtic in the past – that’s what fantastic managers do.
Broony added: “It’s that structure with and without the ball that is hugely important to Brendan and the club, and they’ve got that drilled very well. They look a really strong team, but they probably need to sign a couple of players in January as well. I’m sure that’s one thing Brendan will be having his eye on.”
Paul Gillespie
