GLASGOW, SCOTLAND - JANUARY 05: Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers during a William Hill Premiership match between Celtic and St Mirren at Celtic Park, on January 05, 2025, in Glasgow, Scotland. (Photo by Craig Williamson/SNS Group via Getty Images)
Brendan Rodgers shares the frustrations of the Celtic support over the failure to replace Kyogo Furuhashi.
Straight after the Champions League win over YB Bern the strength of reports from France made it clear that a deal had been agreed with Rennes, by tea-time the next day Kyogo was pictured at Rennes Airport.
Rodgers claimed that the move had been initiated by the player but in the days that followed there was no sign of a successor.
Celtic weren’t taken by surprise by Kyogo’s move, they agreed on the timing of it but with 10 days left in the transfer window no replacement was signed.
Adam Idah is the only striker at the club to have started an SPFL match this season, Daizen Maeda could return to his international role but beyond that Rodgers will have to turn to Johnny Kenny or Daniel Cummings who have less than 45 minutes playing time between them.
At any stage it would create a problem, ahead of a double header against Bayern Munich the issues are amplified with Rodgers not deflecting away as he reflected on the failings of the Transfer window.
Asked if he shared the frustrations of the Celtic support the hoops boss was blunt in his reply:
Yeah, 100 per cent. Listen, I said it myself. We want another striker, so we’re not hiding behind anything.
And absolutely, the supporters will look and see our top striker going out, a legendary striker, and we haven’t replaced it.
So, I understand that. But all I can do is affect what we have now and look to teach and work very, very hard and finish off what has been, until now, a great season for us.
Should Michael Nicholson lead Celtic's Summer 2025 Transfer Window business?
Yes, he has priceless experience, the only man for the job
No, never again, his failings are piling higher and higher
Celtic are in the driving seat for the SPFL Premiership title but the events of the Transfer Window poses questions about the ambitions of the club.
In the first five months of the season they were on an upward trajectory built around their Champions League campaign highlighted by results against Atalanta and RB Leipzig.
That progress and development is now in doubt with the focus on Rodgers who made it clear that the transfer failings were in-house rather than due to external factors.
In exactly a week Celtic face Bayern Munich at home, the excitement and enthusiasm generated by the win over YB Bern has taken a dent by the events of the transfer window with fans left puzzled by the timing of Kyogo’s exit ahead of what could be termed as the most important matches of the season.
Surely to God Dermot must know there are serious serious issues at Celtic.
If ever anyone was in any doubt about our clubs lack of ambition they gave us an answer right there. They didn’t give a shit about Aston Villa or who we might get in next round. If Rangers had been breathing down our necks in the league table there is no way they would’ve sold Kyogo. They only want to be better than Rangers. That’s the height of their ambition. Still can’t believe we qualified for next phase of champions league and next day sold our talisman. If that wasn’t bad enough it’s the fact they did not have a replacement lined up. Amateur doesn’t even begin to describe our old tired board
Two areas anger me…Club’s ambition…and Club’s transparency. It looks to me as if European football success plays second fiddle to domestic success…Be good enough for Scotland…and keep our fingers crossed for Europe..’Cos that’s where the money is..and that’ll do us. And on the transparency front…Tell the support the real truth about why Kyogo left when he did…and why…And the true efforts made to replace him or the true decision not to…The support’s reaction to that, couldn’t be any worse than it is now. And before I get told that we know about Kyogo…and his potential replacement ( s ) …Please note I used the word…truth.
There’s no way that ‘Rangers’ can be breathing down our necks Roddybhoy…
Because ‘Rangers’ are dead as dead can be !
Be a Man. Tell the world you don’t Rate Kyogo.
That Celtic board are charlatans to a man. Dermot Desmond’s placemen running the show to suit the absentee owner. The lack of ambition to be taken seriously outside of our own league bubble is embarrassing. I’ll be surprised if BR is still in post at the start of next season.
Instead of buzzing about a CL knock-out tie against Bayern,
and the prospect of another Treble…
the Board has effectively p!ssed off most of the support and we are – quite rightly –
distracted yet again by its transfer window mismanagement.
Over a hundred board stooges voting for the biscuit tin. Impressive.