Brendan Rodgers drops strong hints on his transfer requirements

Brendan Rodgers has flagged up the need for experience and quality in the Celtic squad.

During the summer transfer window seven players were signed on permanent deal but at £4.2m Maik Nawrocki was the most expensive purchase with every addition aged 23 or younger.

Since the turn of the year Celtic have lost Josip Juranovic, Giorgos Giakoumakis, Aaron Mooy and Carl Starfelt which has left the squad short on experience.

Rodgers has made it clear that his job is to work with the players supplied by the club but that hasn’t stopped him from dropping hints over what he is hoping to be supplied with.

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QUESTION: When you look at the signings you did make, there’s a lot – nine players in total – is there an argument to sign more experienced players in January or the summer?

RODGERS: If you look at the club’s strategy, it’s that (younger players). It’s signing the younger players to develop and improve. I’ve said it before here that to maximise that potential then you need that balance in your squad. You need quality and experience. That will obviously help and support the potential that you have. That’s something hopefully over the course of my time here that the squad can regenerate that way.

With the size of the Celtic squad it is going to be difficult to justify additions to the squad in January without some movement in the other direction.

Alexandro Bernabei, Yuki Kobayashi, Marco Tilio and Kwon Hyeok-kyu have all been signed in the last year but failed to make the squad for the Champions League.

With just over three months to go till the January window opens the Celtic boss has set out a marker for the profile of player that he wants to work with.

Celtic also have Yosuke Ideguchi and Sead Haksabanovic on long term contracts and currently out on loan.