Brendan Rodgers has revealed that some expected outgoing transfers failed to happen during the summer window.
The hoops boss was discussing his squad for the Champions League which requires eight home developed players out of 25.
With Liel Abada now out injured there are 16 non-Scots available for the Feyenoord clash which includes the crocked Cameron Carter-Vickers while Nat Phillips and Paolo Bernardo have still to make their debuts.
Squad management has become a huge issue, intensified by managerial changes which can lead to bloated playing pools.
Celtic did manage to get rid of Albian Ajeti, Ismaila Soro and Vasilis Barkas but James McCarthy, Ben Siegrist and Alexandro Bernabei are still on the payroll but excluded from the Champions League squad.
Addressing the issue of home developed players, Rodgers told The Scotsman:
Within the smaller countries it’s something that could be looked at. Definitely [with recruitment] I think you have to look at moving forward because squad planning is very important.
We were anticipating there were some players who were going to move on who haven’t moved on but there is no doubt that, in the future, squad management is very important.
From those comments it seems imperative that Celtic sign the best emerging Scottish players with Aaron Hickey the most obvious one that got away.
Without the need for eight home produced players Bernabei would probably have made the Champions League squad but his exclusion does give an indication of where he is in Rodgers’ plans.
Smaller countries like ours are hugely impacted by these rules…and not in a good way…But I understand that one country ( ? )….has put in a legal challenge…Hope they win.