Brendan Rodgers has admitted that Celtic’s January transfer window “wasn’t ideal,” but the manager insists he’s not assigning blame as the club prepares for a review of its business.
The Scottish Premiership leaders made a late move on deadline day, bringing in Jeffrey Schlupp from Crystal Palace and recalling winger Jota from Rennes. However, the departure of star forward Kyogo Furuhashi, who moved in the opposite direction, has left a significant void in the squad.
“I said it myself—we wanted another striker, so we’re not hiding behind anything,” Rodgers acknowledged. “And absolutely, the supporters will look and see that a top striker has gone out, a legendary striker.
“I understand their concerns, but my focus is on working with the squad we have, teaching, improving, and ensuring we finish what has been, so far, a great season.”
Stepping Up in Kyogo’s Absence
Despite Kyogo’s exit, Celtic have found an early solution in Adam Idah, who has responded in style with three goals in two games, ending a scoring drought dating back to November. Meanwhile, Johnny Kenny has returned from a loan spell at Shamrock Rovers, and Daizen Maeda—though suspended for the first leg of the Champions League play-off against Bayern Munich—remains an option through the middle.
Rodgers, while reflecting on the window, refused to dwell on missed opportunities. “I don’t want to pin blame on anyone,” he said. “As a collective, it wasn’t ideal how it ended for us, and we’ll review that like we do every window. But I’m not going to let frustration take away my joy of working here by thinking about what could have been.”
The Kyogo Decision: Right Call or Risky Gamble?
Rodgers was asked directly if it was a mistake to let Kyogo—who netted 85 goals in 165 appearances—leave without securing a replacement first.
“Some people will say that, but they don’t have the insight I do from working with him day to day,” he explained. “You can say, ‘well, you should have had someone in the door first,’ but there were circumstances behind the scenes that made that difficult. It’s a situation we had been managing for months.
“If a player doesn’t want to be here, you do the best deal and move on. I believe we brought in some really good players. Could we have done better? Yes. But now, the focus is on what’s ahead, not what’s behind.”
Summer Priority: A Striker to Lead the Line
Former Celtic midfielder Scott Allan, speaking on BBC Radio Scotland, believes securing a new number nine will be the club’s top priority in the summer window.
“Adam Idah will get his chance now, and there are options like Johnny Kenny and Daniel Cummings, who was attracting interest from West Ham,” Allan said. “We know Daizen Maeda can play as a striker, as he has done for Japan, so it’ll be interesting to see how Rodgers manages things in the coming months.
“But clearly, they didn’t feel the right replacement for Kyogo was available. That makes it all the more important that come summer, Celtic make signing a top-class striker their main priority.”