On This Day in 2018, Celtic hosted AEK Athens in the UEFA Champions League Qualifiers. The game finished 1-1 but before kickoff, it was announced that longtime transfer target John McGinn had agreed to join Aston Villa.
After two years in the group stages of the Champions League and six domestic trophies, manager Brendan Rodgers wanted his side to move up a gear. McGinn was one of the standout players in Scotland the year before, operating with Dylan McGeouch in Neil Lennon’s engine room at Easter Rd.
The deal appeared to be straightforward enough. Hibs had an asking price and the player was keen on the moving, owing to the significant family connection to Celtic. Rodgers supposedly met the player and it was all but agreed. No deal could be reached between the clubs, allowing Steve Bruce’s Villa to sneak in with an offer that was deemed acceptable and the player headed to England.
The frustration exhibited from Rodgers after the game made it clear that he wasn’t pleased the deal hadn’t been done. Moreover, the Celtic fans realised that if the Irishman wasn’t backed then he would likely end up departing.
A banner was displayed saying ‘Back Rodgers or Lose Him’, as the messages across the media airwaves were clearly picked up by the support. There have been no such worries this summer but the manager wants quality and the Board need to be ensuring that they deliver on the manager’s wishes.
Six years later, Celtic are in a similar position whereby it is clear the manager wants to strengthen but there is an issue with getting quality through the door. Paulo Bernardo joined Kasper Schmeichel and Vini Sinsalo in becoming the new arrivals. Although, it is clear that the manager wants two strikers, a left sided central defender, a left back and, potentially, a replacement for Matt O’Riley.
Rodgers said that he wanted the club to make a mark in Europe and in order to do that, the club need to be willing to spend big to ensure that they get the quality they’re looking for. Admittedly, Matt O’Riley was signed by the club from MK Dons but he represented good scouting. The support are conscious that there have been only a few transfer links in recent weeks, with only the lingering Adam Idah transfer of any substance.